Hestia's Kindness
by Tadpoleinateacup
Summary: The Marauders are surprised to find their friend has a new girlfriend that will swoop down and change everything!In a good way! I know Oc's don't get much love but I promise you'll like her! Just give it a try!
1. 1: Close Encounters of the Awkward Kind

_**Okay so, I feel that none are deserving enough of Remus' pure awesomeness sometimes so, I have made someone up for him. I know OC stories generally aren't for everyone so I understand if you want to turn back now.**_

_**This is a Marauder's era story, but you will notice that Peter isn't in it. That's because I can't be bothered with a character that turns out to be such a little ….. rat! Ha ha yeah, anyways J.K. owns all the characters except Gracie she is all me!**_

_**I hope you all like her and enjoy!**_

_**EDIT: apparently this needs to be said... this is not a pure Het story, there is a couple that turns out to be gay, it is not graphic, they dont'even officially get togehter in this story until the epilogue but if this really bothers you then just dont' read it because I'm not going to sit here and read your hate mail. **_

**Hestia's Kindness**

**Chapter 1**

**Close Encounters of the Awkward Kind**

'My name is Grace Leafling; I'm in my sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I'm 5'7 which is taller than half the girls in my year surprisingly; I have short curly brown hair I like to ruffle when bored, and baby blue eyes. Sometimes I think my eyes are the only thing I have going for me. People constantly tell me they are beautiful, so at least I have that.

Yeah, I have self esteem issues, I have no one to blame but myself, I'm_ slightly_ overweight due to an extreme dislike for anything involving exercise. I prefer to spend my time reading books on Greek mythology or American superhero comics and when I'm home I like to watch old black and white horror films. I guess that makes me weird though, not girlie enough for most of the boys around here.

I like to believe I'm fun and cute and Lily even says I have an irritating habit of being overly nice and accepting of people, she's right of course. But anyway, I guess the nerdy quality is a turn off for some, this of course means in the romance department, I'm hopeless. Unlike most girls my age, I have yet to even snog a boy, I've had boyfriends…. Two to be exact, but they were never serious because we were young and I have grand illusions of romance. I've kissed a boy, but the kisses never last more than a few brief seconds because of my… how shall I put this gently to myself… oh yes _crazy_.

Wow, I'm totally pathetic; maybe that's why my only friend is now spending all her time with her new boyfriend instead of me.

Don't get me wrong, I truly am happy for her. Despite the last six years of skirting around each other, James and Lilly are perfect for each other. I just wish she would remember the girl that finally told her if she didn't agree to a date I would hex her a new face! But, alas she has not. She spends every moment she's not doing school work off with the Marauders to do Merlin only knows what! She only talks to me when she needs advice. I have a great knack for giving dating and romance advice, but not taking it. I guess it's one of the, those who can't do, teach!

Anyways, those boys are trouble with a capital 'T', but sometimes I wish I was one of them. I wish I was fun and exciting… and noticeable.

_Grace… stop that, this is why you don't have a boyfriend! Your self esteem issues are not going to get you snogged! Now shut up and study like a good girl, the faster you do that, the faster you can read that new mythology book or maybe go out in the rain! _

Yeah, inner monologue is right! I have to stop being stupid about myself. If I acted like I was pretty maybe others would believe me… are boys that thick?... I sure hope so!

So now I go back to my work, I have to learn this wordless invisibility spell before Friday, and its Wednesday. You would think this would give me enough time, but I'm terrible with wordless spells. You tell me I can speak it and I can do _any_ spell you ask, but wordless and I'm…. useless. Ha ha, that rhymed!

Wow…. Yeah, my point exactly. Suddenly I feel a weight in my lap. I look down to see two very big green eyes staring up at me.

"Hello Salem, just the cat I wanted to see. You have to help me learn this charm." Salem looks at me blinks once then shakes his head at me and scampers off. "Some familiar you turned out to be!" He's already gone up to sleep on my bed.

Okay, this is pointless, I can't concentrate anymore, and my own familiar won't even help me. And it's raining outside, and I freaking love the rain. So, at this point I'm going to go run upstairs and get my rain jacket and galoshes. I take two steps at a time and pull my clothes on in record time.

It's never taken me more than 15 minutes to get ready for classes; I'm always last one out of bed, but first to leave the dorm, story of my life. But I digress; there is rain waiting to be run through and puddles waiting to be splashed in.

I can't run from the room fast enough! My long legs get me the portrait hole, but I'm surprised that as I step through, something makes me fall back…. Did I forget to mention I'm also very clumsy, I fall quiet frequently; I have amazing balance from years of catching myself before face planting into the ground! This time is not my fault though! I look up laughing at myself as I always do when on my butt because of a stupid spill. My laugh has just caught in my throat as my eyes suddenly come into contact with honey brown ones.

It's Lupin, I've had a huge crush on Lupin all year. Lily loves James of course, but she says Remus is secretly her favorite Marauder on the friend scale. I know why too. He's intelligent, kind, and gorgeous. I look down at the ground my short hair is covering my red face after I realize I have been starring into his eyes for an awkwardly long period of time. I look back but not up into his eyes. He's holding out his hand to help me up, I can't help but take it. I don't like being rude or anything of the sort. I once apologized to my dad for being sick with the flu because it meant I wanted to sleep instead of watch a movie with him. He wasn't mad at all of course, but again, I hate disappointing people!

What's going on again? Oh right I'm supposed to be taking his hand so he can help me up. I finally take it and he pulls me up with surprising strength. I brush myself off and begin to apologize again for my spill to the ground.

"Hey, my fault entirely, shouldn't have been waiting outside the door. But, if you don't mind me asking, why were you sprinting out in the first place?"

I can feel my cheeks heat up again. My answer of course now will sound stupid because my once intelligent brain chooses now to malfunction.

"It's raining." Yes Grace! That is a perfectly good response when the other person hasn't been listening to your crazy thoughts of the past 30 minutes. He is now giving me that adorable sideways smile of his.

"I noticed, but why does this event make you run through doors?"

"Oh… right, I like the rain, I was going to go… er, play in it." His smile widens to a full one that spreads across his tan handsome face.

"Play in the rain huh?" He squints at me, the crooked smile is back. He leans in towards me as if inspecting a tiny smudge on my nose. I lean back as he leans in. "You're Lily's friend Grace, right?"

…. Oh yes, Lily's friend. He would only know of me because of Lily… duh! I'm usually the quiet girl who sits in a corner and doesn't speak unless spoken to because I don't want to seem rude. Wow, smooth. "Yeah, that's me."

His smile broadens. "She speaks very highly of you, says you're very sweet, and endearingly nerdy."

I hold my breath thank you Lily... at least for the first part. I'll remind myself to thank her for that next time she isn't snogging James' face off! The second part… not so sure about. I know Sirius probably finds my nerdyness highly amusing, he likes thin girls with short skirts and little personality beyond the flip of their perfect hair. I'm guessing Lupin is more sensible then that… although he is a teenage boy… right I'm supposed to be responding!

"Yeah sounds about right. She forgot to mention that the kindness goes overboard and that I am, well, as you've seen firsthand… clumsy."

"You know, now that you mention that she has said something to that effect before. But the compliments heavily outweigh those slight misfortunes." He has a very amused expression on him.

"Well Lily is one to for kindness herself."

"That she is."

"So… If you don't mind _me_ asking, why were you loitering out front the common room for?"

"Sirius."

"Oh, yes, of course." I can only clear my throat awkwardly. "What are you and Sirius off to do? Something Marauder related I'm sure." He looks slightly stunned at my knowledge of their little club.

"How do you know about that?" I lean in toward him as Remus did a few moments ago.

"Oh yes Lupin, I know everything. People like Sirius like to think that people like me don't hear things. People like me are so quiet; it must be because we have shoty hearing or something like that. I know more about the goings on of this entire school, then even Sirius and James do." Remus looks thoroughly impressed, but also slightly weary.

"Anything else you might know that we wouldn't want you to know?"

"I know all your nick names, although you're not really discreet about them. But, for arguments sake, what would you do about it if I did know other things."

"It depends on if you wanted to tell anyone or not." I smile; he looks to be amused, I know that he seems to be seriously considering taking rash action. I sigh at that look. Anything to make sure his friends stay safe; it's noble I can appreciate that. I take a big leap and look into his eyes again and place a hand on his arm.

"Who am I going to tell? The only friend I have is dating your mate James. I honestly wouldn't know who to tell _if _I wanted to… which I don't, I like knowing that I know things no one else ever will, makes me feel special." His genuine smile is back.

And that's when Sirius climbs through, and that is my queue to leave. "Well I'll leave you to that then." I don't think Sirius would approve of one of his best mates speaking to shy nerdy girls like me. "Rain, it's beckoning to me, large puddles and chilly air!" He looks slightly disappointed.

"Oh yes of course, sorry to keep you! Maybe I'll see you later?" Dare I say he sounds slightly hopeful? I hope so!

"Yeah, I'm going to have to warm up in front of the fire after my little escapade."

"You like water and fire? Odd combination isn't it?"

"What can I say; I'm the odd love child of Poseidon and Hestia." His face scrunches up in a cute way that I can only assume means he's searching his brain for my reference. Sirius just looks brooding. Remus' face suddenly dawns in realization.

"Ahh, Greek gods, god of water, and goddess of the hearth and home if I'm not mistaken, nice choices." I can't help it; my face breaks with a wide smile.

"That'd be them, although I like to think I have a little Hephaestus in me too." My heart is fluttering it is threatening to beat out of my chest or explode so I decide to wink cutely and scamper off. Although it looks more like I had a fit and tumbled to my death I'm sure.

As I walk down the hall I look over my shoulder to see Sirius giving Remus a very dirty look as he talks animatedly with his arms flailing around. He is not happy Lupin was talking to me. I can't help but laugh a little to myself. The look on his face if he had heard what we had been talking about would have been utterly priceless, probably would have gotten me oblitiated though.

After I'm safely out of eye sight I take off as fast as my legs will carry me and don't stop till I am crashing through the doors and my feet make a splashing sound. I look up and heavy rain drops splatter my face. My breathing evens out and my heart slows. I make a lap around the lake splashing; in every puddle I encounter humming 'Singing in the Rain' to myself. I make two laps around the lake, making sure to wave at the squid as I pass him. He waves back of course. I am now thoroughly soaked thru, which means it's time to start heading back to common room with a pleasant freeze settling over me.

I take my time getting back, it's not like anyone will be waiting for me, and I love walking the halls. I wave to all the suits of armor as I walk past them, and say hi to each portrait. Finally I see the picture of the Fat Lady and say the password. She swings open without giving me a second look and I hop through.

I run up to the dorm and change into warm clothes, grabbing one of my books on the way out. I walk down to the common room and place myself in front of the fireplace and begin to read my book. I lay with my stomach on the old carpet with my legs swinging back and forth above me. I'm just getting into my book when I feel someone sit down in front of me.

I look up from my page slowly, who could possibly be sitting this close to _me? _I know for a fact Lily and James had plans tonight. To my great amusement… and astonishment it's Lupin.

"Did you enjoy your romp in the rain?" I can't help but smirk at him as I move into a sitting position.

"I did, walked around the lake, said hi to the squid, splashed around. It was an overall very enjoyable way to spend my afternoon when I should have been trying to do a wordless invisibility charm."

"Ahh yes those are tricky." He's doing that crooked smile thing again… it drives me crazy. "So, what are you reading?" He leans over to look at the page I was reading.

"It's a book on werewolves." He eyes flick to mine, he looks worried which surprises me.

"Oh… why werewolves?"

"I think they are bloody brilliant!" His features display a look of confusion. I sigh as if this is a regular thing I have to explain. "Once a month, only on the full moon, regular people turn into these super powerful dark creatures. Then, within a few days of the full moon they are back to being regular normal people."

"But, aren't you frightened of them, don't you think once they are human they can still be dangerous?" He looks legitimately curious at my response.

"Well, this book says that when they turn back into men they still retain some of their strength, so they might hurt someone without realizing it. I think that's probably true, but it doesn't make them bad people, just more careful if anything."

"You seem to have given this quiet a bit of thought."

I shrug, what else am I supposed to do with my time once I've finished studying? "I take myself for one of those girls that would unknowingly fall in love with one, and then when he tells me, instead of being all horrified I start laughing."

"Why would you laugh?"

"Because they would probably tell me with the thought of me getting upset, but in reality… I think it would just make me like them more."

"Why would you like them more? Once a month they turn into monsters." I gave him a curious look; it was as if he was trying to convince me not to like them, while he himself hoped I would just continue proving him wrong.

"So, we all turn into monsters sometimes, and most people have the option of controlling it if they want to. We shouldn't shun people for something they can't help about themselves. Lily wouldn't tell me to stop being clumsy, it's something I can't help it would be pointless, it won't just suddenly go away because she told it to!" His face breaks in a huge grin that surprises me.

"You're an extremely interesting person to talk to."

"Thanks? I guess… I don't know, is that good or bad?"

"Oh it is defiantly good." I nod with a big smile. "So, what else does your book say?"

"Well I was just reading about the mating traditions."

"Oh? And what have you learned?"

"It's fascinating really, this book covers lore from all over and then narrows it down to what is most likely true. So apparently when they find their mate, they can mark them so that when they turn into werewolves they won't harm them. Usually they bite their mate while they are in human form so the other person won't turn into a werewolf themselves. This claims most people have their mates bite them someplace easily hidden with clothing." I look back up at him and he's starring at me intently. I can feel myself blush. "I think I would want the bite mark on my neck, could hide it if I needed to, but show it off the rest of the time."

"You would want to show off your boyfriend was a werewolf?"

My face scrunches up. "Werewolves mate for life, their instinct show them their almost perfect match so that they can be together till death. Why wouldn't I show off that my husband will love me till the day I die. That is something that people rarely find, it would be a gift, not something to hide from people."

"What if your friends stopped talking to you because of it?"

"I like to think I would have friends that would be accepting of people like that. I told you, it's not like it's something they can control. "

He blinked at me with his honey brown eyes, I felt like I could swim in those eyes. They were looking at me as if they had never looked upon anything so fascinating.

"What else does it say about mating?"

"Well you can supposedly feel your mate's emotions. If the other person is sad, then you suddenly feel a slight pang of sadness yourself. And, if the people are soul mates, which are rare in general, then they can sometimes hear each other's thoughts if they want to. It doesn't even matter how far away they are from each other. They could be on opposite ends of the world and talk to each other like they are in the same room."

"Wow, I didn't even know that." I look at him funny, that sounded like he thought it was something he should just know automatically.

"I wouldn't mind being a werewolf's mate. Sounds romantic in a way, I have a few more days to wait though."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, both people have to be of age. I don't turn 17 till October 31st. I have a week to go." Remus shook his head slightly and gulped. I think I'm making him nervous, well that's unsettling, no wonder I only have Lily.

"Well, I think I'm going to go try and practice my wordless invisibility charms again… if I can find Salem."

"Who is Salem?"

"Oh he's my black cat familiar."

"A Witch with a black cat named Salem, could you be more of a stereotype?" We both start laughing.

"Yeah well he's not much of a familiar, ran away earlier when I told him I needed his help with the spell." I lean in as if to tell him some big secret. "I'm utter rubbish at wordless spells. I can learn spells in a moment if I can speak, but if not… well let's just say it's going to be a long year."

"I'm not bad with wordless spells, I could help you sometime… if you want." My face heats up and I probably look like an owl with my eyes wide.

I'm stammering…. That's attractive. "That would be great actually. He nods making his fringe swing in front of his eyes. I have an overwhelming urge to brush it behind his ear. He does it instead.

"So you're a cat person who likes werewolves? Shouldn't you be strictly one or the other?"

"I don't like _dogs; _Ididn't say anything about wolves did I?" He snickers at me.

"No I suppose you didn't" He smiles down at me a few seconds, he's looking me over. I suddenly feel extremely self-conscious. "Well I'm off to bed, Sirius wore me out." He winks at me and stands up walking over to his dorm.

_**I'll be updating almost every thurs. of course not next since it's thanks giving so it will probably be sooner! Basically whenever I have internet I will grace you with a new chapter!**_


	2. 2: Whomping Willow Woes

**Hestia's Kindness**

_**Ha ha okay this is a very dramatic chapter you know how teenage drama goes! Bare with me it will get lots better!**_

**Chapter 2**

**Whomping Willow Woes**

It's raining again the next day. Harder even then the day before and now there is thunder and lightning. I'm excited; it's as if I can feel the electricity coursing through me. I go up and get my rain gear again. I head out the door much slower this time, don't need another spill. I jog down to the grounds and burst out the door into the chilly air. No one else is really around; most Brit's don't like the rain having grown up in it. It just makes me love it more, reminds me of home and childhood. Again I make my way around the lake waving to the squid and skimming stones across the bubbling lake. Finally I decide it's time to get back to homework.

I pass the Whomping Willow on my way; its leaves are beautiful shades of red and yellow. Of course it's autumn though, so it would make sense. Ahh yes, my favorite season too. It's been a good day, I think. Splashed in the rain, and realized that Halloween in fast approaching, also my birthday although that won't be anything special I'm sure! I stop in front of the great tree… everyone says it has a nasty temper, I think it's just a big push over myself.

I love Willow trees, I brought it a vial of special happy grow water my first year when I had heard about it. It hasn't given me any trouble since. In fact it usually… ahh yes. It usually wraps a vine around me for a hug, like now. I love running my fingers over the soft bark and smooth leaves. It lets me go slowly, almost reluctantly, as if it needs a friend as much as I do. It lets me go just as I hear someone yelling my name.

"GRACE, GRACE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING GET AWAY FROM THERE!" I turn around smiling and waving to my now old friend as I go to meet the person calling me.

"WHAT! I'M NOT DOING ANYTHIGN WRONG!" I catch up with them and realize it was Lupin and Black calling to me.

"Grace! What are you doing that thing could kill you if you get to close!" He has to yell because of the pounding rain.

I can't help but laugh, stupid boys just can't see past the obvious. "That old softy wouldn't hurt me if I begged it!"

Blacks face goes slack first, he's looking at me like a giant spider crawled in my ear and laid eggs. Remus' face on the other hand looks outraged.

I raise one of my eyebrows at them then proceed to push past them to head back up to the castle, now thoroughly soaked threw. I get a good three yards away when I hear footsteps pounding behind me. Someone tugs my arm roughly. I turn around, my face lighting with anger now, I enjoy the rain, but I have no intention of getting the flu, the potion to cure it is ghastly!

"Grace, I'm serious, stay away from it. It could do some serious damage to you if you aren't careful." Remus looks pissed. It's an expression I haven't seen on his face before. Sirius looks equally as upset, but his face always looks that way... unless he's with a bird or bloke.

"You two are total gits! I told you, that tree wouldn't hurt me. Maybe it would hurt you two because you're too thick to just try some common decency toward the poor thing, but I like him, and he likes me."

Sirius scoffs at me, he actually scoffs, only Slytherin's do that! "You're crazy; you sound as if you're dating it! You really are a freak."

I can feel anger and annoyance well inside me, there is something else too that resembles sadness and acceptance for the fact that I already knew that! Remus turns his angered face towards Black, I barely notice as my sadness and rage mingle and explode.

"I'm sorry that not everyone thinks I'm a god like they do you Black, I don't have that luxury! My only friend is always off with your mate James! And I sure as hell am not going to stop Lily from being happy, so I have to be alone all the time!" I can feel tears well up in my eyes. "I'll take my friends where I can find them! And if that means a tree then fuck you; I'm going to be friends with a TREE! I don't care if that makes me a freak! At least the Willow won't say hurtful things like STUPID BOYS!"

Thank god for the rain, it's masking the tears spilling down my face. I turn as fast as I can and run not bothering to wait for their responses or see the looks on their faces. I run until I can scream the password at the startled portrait and hurtle myself through the opening. People are staring at me as I run past them sobbing, I am usually unnoticed, but tonight, I've broken down, my loneliness I didn't even realize I was carrying has finally crushed me under its weight. I grab a pair of P.J.'s and run into the bathroom to start a hot shower. I hop under the scalding stream and sob until the water gets cool. I turn it off reluctantly and climb out, my body is sore from the cold, and my head hurts from all the crying. I change as fast and my weak limbs will allow and get into my warm bed. All my thoughts of homework vanish.

I can vaguely hear Lily come in and ask if I'm still awake. She probably just wants advice on James, and I am defiantly not in the mood for a Marauder. I pretend to be asleep, although that's not hard since I was just about their anyway. She climbs into bed and I can hear her rustle around a bit before finally settling down, something must be really bothering her, she usually gets into a position and falls off to sleep instantly, but tonight she tosses. It's making me feel bad, she needs to talk to me, but I'm being selfish!

_Damn it Grace, this is that too nice thing you do, she'll get to sleep eventually, it's not your job to be her mom! She's a big girl; she can take care of herself. Stop this and go to BED! _

Thanks inner monologue, you're right, she can deal without me this one time. I've earned a break; I have been there for her for every boy, every 'E' and every other stupid problem! So, tonight I will be strong willed and ignore her, I'll help her in the morning when _I _am feeling better.

With that I can feel myself drift off into a nice sleep.

~GL&RL~

I wake up the next morning to all the girls running around trying to put on their make-up and fix their shirts, find the right sox, I climb slowly out of bed and put on my already laid out perfect outfit and slip it on. I run a brush though my hair and pull it back in a gray ribbon and head out the door before anyone else.

As usual the only ones in the common room are boys. I go sit on one of the couches and pull out a comic and start reading, waiting for Lily to come down so I can say hi before she disappears for the rest of the day with James.

I'm halfway though my comic when I feel the couch dip beside me. I keep reading, probably just some kid trying to get some studying in before class, but then I hear my name.

"Grace?" It's not Lily, it's a male voice, I put down my comic to see Remus staring at me. I can feel my face heat up with anger. I clear my throat and fold my comic up and put it back in my pocket.

"Tell Lily I went down to breakfast and I hope to see her later if she's not too busy snogging James." I say it with as little malice as I can muster, I don't want Lily to think I want her to stop seeing James, my anger is purely for the other two Marauders.

I can see Remus stand up out of the corner of my eye. I brush past him quickly and head for the door. I race down the stairs and to the Great Hall, if I can make it their without him catching me he can't make a scene… to many witnesses.

Alas, my clumsiness kicks in just before I turn the corner that will put The Great Hall within my grasp. I tumble to the ground landing on my hip hard. I can feel the bruise swelling as I get up, picking my books up with me. Just as I stand fully up, Remus arrives.

"Grace, please, just wait."

"Why?" My eyes sting from the want to cry from the pain shooting through my side.

"Because I need to talk to you."

"Why, you never felt the need to before in the last five years, why should things be different now? I'm the _freaky_ lonely girl who sits in a corner and reads comics and makes obscure movie references." Remus' face would be priceless if I wasn't so pissed.

I stare at him for a long moment… he doesn't say anything, "that's what I thought." I turn on my heel and stomp into the Great Hall.

_**I like my rant with Grace and Sirius… the poor girl is just too damn nice all the time! Lol let me know what you think. I get a surprisingly small amount of comments and although I do LOVE when you fav. A comment is a nice way for me to know specifically what you guys want!**_

_**And I forgot to mention this in the first chapter but the story is already done. I don't like when authors don't finish the story so I make sure it's done before I even think about posting something. So yes I just need to beta it and it will be up when I have internet!**_


	3. 3:A Slytherin Surprise

**Chapter 3**

**A Slytherin Surprise**

I try to spend as little time in the common room as possible for the next week which leads me to strange places to spend my time. A lot of which is in the dungeon's many halls in fact. No Gryffindor in their right mind would look for me down here. I lean against one of the stone walls as I sit on the cold ground. Tears silently slip down my face for what feels like the hundredth time this week. It's become a regular thing for me this week. I try to focus on my sketch. I'm sketching a young woman sitting on a crescent moon starring at all the many stars.

I'm so focused on the face I'm drawing and holding back my tears that I don't notice the wall in front of me open. The boy that steps out defiantly notices me though. He clears his throat in a pompous manner that gets my attention.

I look at him with my swollen eyes and just blink at him. He squints at my puffy face and his once cold face turns slightly soft. "What are you doing down here? Are you in Slytherin?"

I can only shake my head. I don't know what to do. I really don't want a fight with a Slytherin right now.

"Well, what house _are_ you in?" I gulp and look down at my sketch. Slowly I look back up into his black eyes. I recognize him now. It's Severus, Lily's friend. That makes me feel slightly more confident.

"I'm Grace Leafling from Gryffindor." He looks curious when he hears my response.

"Are you friends with Lily by any chance?"

I nod, "yeah… she's my only friend." He frowns at my words and sits next to me against the wall.

"Why are you crying?" I look down at my drawing. I don't want to tell him. Lily has told me all the mean things Black and James used to do to him. I don't want him to get himself worked up and angry. I settle for shaking my head.

"Someone hurt you?"

"Why are you even talking to me? I'm a Gryffindor. You're supposed to be hexing me right now right?" He shakes his head and smirks a little.

"You're changing the subject, how very Slytherin of you. But, I'll bite. You are friends with Lily, that's good enough for me usually. Although, her taste in men leaves something to be desired." He leans over to me. "I would have gone for Lupin, not that prat Potter! Ugh! At least it wasn't Black! I would have had a thing or two to say to her about him!" I stiffen at his name. Snape obviously noticed because he's sitting so close to me.

"Oh! Not much of a Black fan either are you?" I shake my head and I can feel angry tears threaten to spill. He places a hand on my shoulder and gives it a light squeeze. "Tell me what's wrong; what did that idiot do this time?"

"He… he… called me a freak." I can barely say it above a whisper I'm so sad and angry.

I look over a Snape. He looks slightly furious. "He called you what?" I shake my head.

"Nothing important… he was right."

"That's doesn't give him the right to say hurtful things!"

"Snape don't!" I grab his arm as he makes to get up. "Please, I know you and him just stopped hexing each other. Please don't start again on my account. I would never forgive myself if you got hurt because of me." He blinks down at me in shock before settling down next to me again.

"You and Lily would be friends you're both so noble and Gryffindor like. She is remarkably kind as you are. Although you might be more so even. If you don't mind me asking why did he call you a freak in the first place?"

I look down towards the ground and play with my pencil. "I'm always alone these days. Lily is always off with James, and I don't have other human friends. He saw me hugging the Whomping Willow and thought I had lost my marbles and that it was going to kill me. I tried to tell him it liked me and wouldn't hurt me if I wanted it to. But he doesn't understand. He's Mr. Popular. Can get anyone he wants, bloke or bird. He doesn't understand what is different from him. And I am as different as they come."

"How so, you seem normal enough to me?" I give him a sideways smirk, from what Lily has told me about him, he's not so normal either.

"I read Greek myths and American comics. And, when I'm not doing that I just study or draw. I'm nerdy, and that confuses him. He thinks girls should flip their hair and bat their eyelashes at him." Snape sinkers and pats my knee.

"Black is an idiot, plain and simple. Why are you letting it get to you like this? Is there more to the story then what you're telling me?" I can't help but smile a little.

"You Slytherin's! You just have to figure everything out don't you? How do I know you won't just go off and tell your little snake friends all my secrets?" He shrugs his shoulders at me as nonchalant as possible, but the look on his face tells me he's hiding something.

"You don't, unfortunately you only have the word of a Slytherin. But at least believe me when I say that you are not the only one in need of a few friends. I am mostly a loner like yourself." He leans over to whisper the next part. "I think you are intriguing, if I were to have a friend, it would be someone like you." He holds out his hand to shake mine. I look down at it curiously. He's a Slytherin, I'm a Gryffindor, could we really be friends? I guess I've never really been one for tradition. I grab his hand and shake it firmly. "Good! Now, what else is one your mind Leafling?"

"If we are going to be friends it's going to have to be a first name deal. Call me Grace or Gracie Severus." He smirks again.

"Okay I'll call you Gracie but you have to call me Sev." I can't help but laugh.

"Deal!" We shake hands again.

"It's Lupin… I'm the one that likes him. He's not as foolish or ignorant as the other Gryffindor boys; he actually cares about things and has a general interest in something other than quidditch! Anyway, he was with Black when he called me a freak. He looked angry, and I didn't really give him a chance to get angry at Black, but I can't like him knowing that if we ever got together he might feel he has to choose between me and his friends. I know more than some that friends are important wherever you can find them, and I would never be able to let him pick me over them and go away happy. So, I'm angry that because Black is a PRICK!... I sacrifice dating the one boy that has ever shown a genuine interest in me…." I look at Severus. "Other then you that is." He nods.

"I understand. I think though, that if you always let your kindness come between you and your own happiness, you are going to be a very sad and lonely person. Although a commendable quality that many will love and appreciate in you… _you _will find yourself unhappy more than often, it's time to worry about things like that when the time comes. The world usually has a way of working things like that out in the end. The world isn't going to ignore a kindness such as yours."

I shrug, I feel better that I've talked about it, but I still feel sick that it still all holds true. "Thanks Sev, I feel a little better." I turn to him and hug him around the neck. I don't expect him to hug me back, but I feel his arms rap around me right away. We pull away and smile at each other.

"Oh! Sev, I'm sorry you were headed off somewhere weren't you?"

He nods… "Well, yes but it's not important, just a little stroll." To my great surprise, and amusement, he's blushing slightly. His pale cheeks are turning a slight pink shade. I can't hold back a stream of giggles. "What are you laughing at?" He too beings to laugh. "Oh my, your laugh is infectious!" I start poking him in the ribs to get him laughing more. Finally we stop; we're breathing heavy but smiling.

"So, Sev, you going to tell me where you were headed that was embarrassing enough to make a Slytherin blush?"

"Just the Library, thought I would get some light reading material." His face flushes slightly but I decide to ignore it as I stand up.

"Well, I need to go work on my wordless charms for class tomorrow. I'm utter rubbish at them and I haven't studied at all since my little fight. Been too busy crying, didn't want to drip on my homework you know." I smile at him as he nods and stands.

"I could help you with those if you like. I'm not bad myself and I think we could both use some company."

"Agreed, tomorrow in the Library after dinner then?"

"Deal, see you then Gracie." He turns to go back into his common room, but I grab him and spin him around. I pull him in and hug him tight. Again he surprises us both by hugging me back. I release him soon after, I don't want to make him uncomfortable. I smile one last time and turn away, running down the long hall back to Gryffindor tower.

When I get in I keep my head down and go directly up to the girls dorms. I jump into my bed and pull the curtains around me. I whisper a silencing spell and start giggling.

_'Hell yes! New friend! Take that world! I don't care he's a Slytherin so you can forget about making it into a big thing! HA!' _I take a deep breath to calm the inner monologue that wants to scream at the world.

I smile up at the fabric above my head with a big sigh of relief before pulling out my books and parchment.

_**You like how I snuck in Severus there? I thought it was cute, they are both loners in need of a friend and they have Lily in common so yeah! Lol more of them to come, it shall be good fun indeed! Let me know what you all think so I can make happy seeing noises that freak my dad out! **_


	4. 4: Severus' Sirius Secret

_**Ha ha like what I did there with the title lol. Anyway enjoy!**_

**Chapter 4**

**Severus' Sirius Secret**

The day goes smoothly; I avoid any sign of a Marauder and mange to pull off a wordless spell in charms. I'm so excited about meeting Severus after dinner I practically inhale my food. As soon as my plate is clear I jump up and run all the way to Library. I'm the only one around other than the Librarian, but she doesn't pay me any attention as usual.

I pick the best table I can find and sit down pulling out my books as I wait for Severus to show up. I don't have to wait too long. He shows up relatively soon after I do. He strolls in with a Slytherin manner about him and walks right up to our table.

"Hello my dear. So, what do you need help with?" He sits down in the seat directly across from me and pulls out his own books.

"I need help with the wordless summoning charm. Whenever I try it the object only moves about an inch then just stops." He nods at me and begins giving me instructions.

We go like that until I have it down nearly perfect. Soon we begin to talk about more personal things like our interests. We get along so well in fact if someone were to walk up to us they would probably mistake for siblings if we didn't look so different.

He's the friend and brother I never had all rolled up into one person. But now I'm thinking. There is something about him that I can't place…

Despite our common interests and mutual adoration for each other… there is nothing romantic about the way we interact. I just can't picture him that way, and I _know_ he must feel the same way. It's odd, he's my type intellectually, and it's not that he is extremely unattractive to me. _'Not like that was ever really a big thing for me anyway… Remus' attractiveness was just a plus!' _I just can't imagine him kissing me, or vice versa.

He is reading up for a potions essay. But I have to stop him; I have to know what he thinks about my little theory.

"Sev? Why is it that we don't feel we should be together as a couple? We obviously get along, am I not your type… do you have a type? His face flushes a darker pink then yesterday. Intriguing…

"I… I… you would defiantly be my type…" I sense a big if.

"If?..." He shakes his head and looks back down at his book… he's trying to pretend this conversation isn't happening. I can't help but want to laugh. Does he honestly think I'm that dense?

"It's because you already have agirl isn't it? Is there a bird you were sneaking off to try and see yesterday? Maybe follow her around the Library?" His head snaps in my direction. His expression looks sinister.

"Do NOT repeat that assumption to anyone! I was not off to go stock a girl!" His eyes narrow in a glare that would make Dumbledore weary.

A smirk slowly creeps across my face despite his gloomy one. "Oh… not a bird eh? … You know, for a Slytherin you aren't a very good liar."

"Leafling… I'm warning you. Keep those pretty little lips of yours shut!" I give him a glare right back.

"Or what! And what's with the use of my sir name? You think that's intimidating _Snape?_" We begin a glaring contest. His of course is much more powerful than mine could ever hope to be, but I'm not a Gryffindor for nothing. Suddenly a theory creeps into my head. It all becomes clear to me.

My glare fades off my face and melts into a devious sneer.

"Was it a bloke then? You can tell me. I won't judge you."

If possible his face becomes more gruesome. "What do you know Grace?"

I put my hands up in surrender like position. "I know nothing, I just know people."

His eye twitches once then he leans back in his chair with a great sigh. "Women are impossible. Lily does the same thing, sees right through me without even having to look!" The Librarian shushes us. I nod and mouth 'I'm sorry' before looking back and Severus.

"So who is the lucky bloke that gets to have those black lusty pools you call eyes staring at him?"

We both grin wide at my description for his eyes. He shakes it off quickly remembering he's supposed to be opposed to this conversation. "No one, it's no one."

"Didn't I just tell you… you're a very bad liar, your cheeks get all rosy when you lie about things like this? So are you going to tell me or do I have to guess?"

He sits across from me with his arms crossed over his chest. He just glares at me.

"Fine I'll guess… give me a hint!" He rubs his eyes with his long pale fingers.

"There are two men that have peaked my interest this year, both of which are in our year. There is one from each of our houses."

"Hmmm… are they similar in appearance?"

Another big sigh. "No, that are actually quiet opposite in their looks other than they are both very handsome."

I purse my lips and think hard about the boys in Gryffindor. It can't be James; otherwise he would have reacted much differently to Lily's news about him. It can't be Remus for the same reason with me. It _could_ be Black… but he supposedly hates Black. However the only other boy in my year from Gryffindor is little Peter Pettigrew… and the thought of Severus even holding hands with him is shudder worthy.

It has to be Black… but that seems so impossible. "Sev… it isn't Black is it?"

His eyes get wide and he looks down at the table clearly avoiding eye contact. "But, just yesterday you were ready to go hex him for calling me a freak! And you spent the last five years making each other as miserable as possible. You're nutters!"

"Ugh don't you think I _know that! _You think I want to faun over him like those other dotty girls! I mean you weren't stupid enough to faun all over him! Why did I have to be! Last night I was trying to get down to the quidditch pitch to watch him practice!" I smirk a little but nod in understanding.

"There is something magnetic about the stupid git! Everyone knows he's trouble, but still all the girls and some boys just can't keep their hands off of him!" I lean over and squeeze his shoulder. "If I were just slightly more… normal, maybe I would be drooling over him too." He slowly lifts his head to look at me. I try to give him a reassuring smile, but I know he isn't buying it. "So… you going to tell me who the other bloke is, or do I have to guess again?"

He takes a deep breath and lets it out in a long whoosh of a name. I miss it completely. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

He rolls his eyes. "You are not good for me! You're going to get me sent to Madam Pomfrey for a headache potion!" He rubs his eyes and then looks at me defeated. "Lucius Malfoy."

"Isn't he dating that Narcissa girl?"

"Oh because that would stop him from getting a shag from anyone willing and able."

"Is that all you want? A shag? You picked the two most shag worthy and shagable men in the whole school! So it's either you're horney or you're like a masochist or something. You picked the two men that are not good enough for you! All Black wants is to have sex and hex people he thinks aren't cool enough. And Malfoy is going to marry Narcissa but in the mean time is willing to sleep with everyone else? Really Severus? I know we haven't been friends long but I love you like a brother, and I will not stand by and watch them torment you."

He has a pout on his face and a sad look in his eyes that is breaking my heart. I speak again but in a softer tone. "Look… Lucius, forget him. He's an arse. He'll marry Narcissa because she'll look best on his arm at Ministry events." He looks even sadder. "Black… however, I know he will do anything to make his parents _unhappy._ He loves anything that will make his mother furious. You for instance would make her turn permanently plum colored!" He looks at me a little more encouraged. "We just have to show him how sexy and brilliant you are underneath the Slytherin sneer! We'll get you a haircut and a new robe and teach you to walk this school like you own it. Black won't know what hit him! Then before long he'll be begging you for a shag and then a lifelong love affair!"

"How? Grace, this is madness! (Ha ha no it's Sparta…. No? Okay well back to the story then.) I will never be desirable."

I give his shoulder a squeeze. "I'll teach you. They say those who can't do teach! I'll bet I can get him to drool over you by Christmas break."

I can't help but smile as his face brightens at the prospect. "You're just as nutters as I am Leafling." He smiles warmly at me. My heart fills with happiness at that look.

"Maybe I am, but that's why we make such good friends right?" He grabs my hand and squeezes it.

"Yeah, the best of friends. I'm not sure how I've made it all these years without that laugh around. No wonder Lilly is always in such a good bloody mood!" We're laughing again. We can't control ourselves which is when the Librarian kicks us out.

We walk out still laughing. "Good night Grace. Sleep well my dear. Save me a seat in potions okay?"

"Of course!" He hugs me tightly and kisses me on the forehead before turning to go down towards the dungeons.

I skip all the way to my room without falling once. It was an exceptional day.

_**Wow, you guys are spoiled, three updates in one day! ha ha more tomorrow if i have time and internet!**_

_**Aren't Sev and Gracie just the cutest friends ever! **_

_**Ha! How do you like them apples people! That's right Sev and Siri sitting in a tree! Lol lol lol. And how did you like my 300 reference lol I couldn't stop myself!**_


	5. 5: Lily Never Lies

**Chapter 5**

**Lily never Lies**

To my great pleasure Lupin only gets one chance to talk to me the whole week. I cleverly avoided him during the weekend and busied myself with work and Severus the whole rest of the week. He found me a few hours ago though and tried to talk to me again, but he brought Sirius who was looking very temperamental. I ran before they could get to me. Although my chat with Severus had made me understand the situation better it did not change my mind in that, Remus would most likely have to choose who to spend the rest of his time with.

Whether Black apologized or not, he would never quite mean it. So in the end, it wouldn't really matter either way. Better to avoid them all together until it all blows over. I have Severus to keep me company if I need it, which is enough.

So I try to keep busy and away from the common room. The rain stopped a few days ago and the day is bright so the grounds are dry. I decide to pay a visit to the lake again. I like to sit at the edge of the water on the opposite side from the castle and read or draw. The squid is more likely to wave at me if I'm on the opposite bank.

I love when the squid waves, he always does when I need a little pick me up… like now. Sure enough, a long tentacle shoots out of the water and waves at me. I can't help but smile and wave back. My heart feels lighter, and then I hear it, the crunching of gravel. I stand up pulling my wand out. I'm seething with anger, ready to hex Remus if it's the stupid git. I don't understand why I'm still so angry. Why I let him and Black hurt me so much.

"Whoa! Grace, it's just me!" Lily, damn, I do not want to hear about James, or any Marauder for that matter.

"Oh, hey Lil, what are you doing out here?"

"Remus, he says you're upset."

"Did he tell you why?" The little shit better not have, it took five years to convince Lily to go out with James and I refuse to do it all over again.

"Not really, just said you went to see the Whomping Willow and you got into a little trsk with Sirius and him. He feels awful. Says Sirius said something that set you off and hurtful things were said."

"You know that old W.W. loves me, I went to visit him and he hugged me, like always, Lupin and Black saw and thought it was hurting me, they were wrong of course, I tried to explain but they wouldn't listen, and then Black said it sounded like I wanted to date it and called me a freak." Lily gasped. She knew how I felt about myself, and knew that was where it all went wrong. "I don't want you to stop hanging out with James Lily, remember that when I say this, love is important, in fact, it is most important, and we worked too hard to get you to this so don't get all noble." I take a deep breath. "I said that I couldn't be popular like him because I'm a freaky nerd, and that I would take friends wherever I could find them since you went off with James."

Lily looks like she wants to protest and I give her a look to remind her what I just said. So she nods. "I understand Gracie, but I think you should forgive them, you were right, you need more friends, I don't want you to replace me of course, but if they are willing to be around, you should accept it. I know Sirius can be a total git! I spend lots of time with him and the others you know. But I've told you Remus is my favorite Marauder, and there is a reason for that. If you're not willing to forgive Sirius that's understandable, but Remus was just trying to make sure you didn't get hurt." I can only nod.

"I saw you talking the other night in front of the fire. If our places were switched and I could give advice the way you could, I would tell you that he smiles more around you then anyone else, even James and Siri, and his eyes turn an extra dark shade of honey when I mention you, and that he hasn't stopped talking and worrying about you since you bumped into each other outside the common room a couple days ago." She laughs awkwardly. "James is in a right state, thinks I'm going to kill someone if my best friend isn't happy. " I can feel tears again. I want to believe that, but how am I supposed to? Someone like Remus could never like someone like me. His best friends don't even like me.

"I talk about you a lot Gracie. James feels as if he knows you and thinks you should be dating Remus as much as I do. He of course hasn't said this to Sirius or Remus, but I want you to know that you shouldn't let Sirius stop you from being happy." I blink up at her. I don't understand how she can know things like that without me even speaking; it really is like our roles have reversed.

"Sirius is an idiot, but he'll come around. You're way to amazing for someone even as stubborn as Sirius to not eventually come to love you the way I do. Severus told me that you are now very close. If you could melt that snake's heart you can melt Sirius'"

I can't breathe, my head is pounding and my heart feels like a snitch has gotten stuck in it. "Lil, can I just be alone for a while, I'll be back up in the common room soon, promise." She nods reluctantly but turns and leaves. I sit back down on the gravely beach and wish that the squid had waited to wave till now… It's tentacle shoots from the water again and waves. My heart leaps with joy. "I love you!" I say to it as loudly as I dare. The gravel once again crunches.

"Lily, I said I'd be back soon, I'm a big girl I can-"I look up to see Remus starring down at me.

"I have never seen the squid come over the water, only seen it swimming under it."

"What can I say, I 'm a freak with freaky friends." Remus looks pissed.

"I yelled at him you know. Told him he was way out of line and that if he ever said anything like that again to anyone we wouldn't be friends anymore." I look up at him shocked.

"Well that was stupid." Remus looked annoyed.

"What do you mean? He called you a freak."I take a deep breath.

"So, I am, my friends are a giant squid, a tree that usually hits people, and a Slytherin! I'm freaky! Sure it hurt that it was confirmed, but I was really angry because, well….. Things like that hurt when other people say them, and I think part of it is he's friends with Lily now."

"I only want what's best for her, and Black is irrational and mean unless he's with some blond bimbo. But listen, I know Black; he's rude and pigheaded because he thinks he's tuff shit. In reality he's scared, probably has a fucked up home life right? James watches over him when his parents won't, it makes him loyal to a fault. He says things like that because if he doesn't, he'll get mocked himself. Thinks people will look down on him because he doesn't have the right friends. I was angry at first, but now, I'm mostly just wishing I could have some of those qualities. I wish I could have friends that were that loyal to me. And that's another thing. If you became friends with me… I think you would eventually have to choose between me and them. And I know that it will always be them. Unless Black decides I am suddenly cool enough to be his friend we won't work."

Remus sat down next to me looking at my face as I spoke to the ground so I didn't have to look at him.

"I don't even know why the sorting hat put me in Gryffindor sometimes." Neither of us says anything for a couple minutes, and then suddenly Remus speaks.

"I do." I look up at him. His eyes are sparkling with something I don't recognize. "That, right there is why. You're overwhelming kindness, your willingness to give up your own happiness for that of your friend, that loyalty to those who show kindness back. The kindness you show for those who have never even given you a reason to be nice. That's why you're in Gryffindor." I suddenly realized what it was in his eyes. It was a fierce type of admiration. "You were spot on about Sirius by the way."

"He called you a terrible name, said terrible things, and still you forgive him. You would rather me pick _him_ over you because you think or know it would make me happiest. That, Grace is something special. You're something special." I shake my head and look at the lake.

The squid is swimming as close to the shore line as it can get, I can almost feel it wanting to protect me. I stand up fast. Remus stands up too.

"Grace?" I take a deep breath.

"What?" It has no malice, just a question.

"I definitely don't think you're a freak Grace, I think you're beautiful and brilliant, and above all else kind. Even to those who have never given you reason to deserve it."

"You're wrong." He looked puzzled. "Sirius deserves my kindness just for being loyal to you, James and I'm assuming Lilly." Remus nods.

"That's what I'm talking about… right there, you're amazing." My brain can't handle this; I don't know what I'm doing. I look out across the water and I can feel Remus get closer to me. One of his hands grabs mine. I look down at our interlocked hands. I squeeze his then pull away. My eyes meet his. Those eyes I love so much look confused and slightly sad.

I go for a subject change I'm uncomfortable, I just want to go hide in the Library and hope Sev comes for a little light reading.

"Did you know tomorrow is my birthday?" Remus looks confused again but smiles.

"That's right it's on Halloween." He smiles at me and I try to give him a little one back. "What do you say after the feast you and I have a walk around the lake and you can tell me more about werewolves, like a… date?" My cheeks flush a deep pink.

"Remus, didn't you listen to what I said? I'm not going to sit around while you choose Black over me. I won't! It's hard enough knowing it without having to be proven right."

"Don't you believe the world will find a way of working things out so you can be happy too? And I don't think I would be very happy if the girl I like was unhappy because I stayed with my friends instead of her." I can't help a smile.

"That sounds like what Severus said."

"Severus? Are you friends with him now?" I hope I didn't totally just mess up. But now I've said it. I have to confirm it. I'm not the kind of person to be ashamed of my friends anyway.

"Yes I did. Is that a problem?"

His eyes get wide for a few seconds but then he shakes his head. "No, in fact it kinda just makes me like you more. Snape needs a friend, and you my lovely are the best person for the job. You could melt a polar bears heart and have him do tricks for you!" We both laugh.

"So, Grace, sweet Grace, will you please meet me here tomorrow evening so we can have a little date for your birthday?"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm dead sure! I have something I really want to tell you, and I think it will be the perfect time." I consider it and stare into his warm eyes.

"Yeah, okay. That sounds interesting. I would be happy to." His face lights up.

"Meet me here after the feast okay?"

"Yeah, okay, I'll be here."

"I have to go now, said I would meet up with James and Lily after I found you."

He starts to walk away. "Hey, tell Lily thanks and that she was right." He opens his mouth to ask; I hold up my hand and stop him. "She'll know why, and you don't need to." He raises one eyebrow but nods and walks away.

I run up to the castle and go to my dorm. I change into my sleep clothes and climb into bed. I'm so happy I drift right to sleep. I have dreams of Remus and happy pumpkins singing happy birthday.

_**Yay no more fighting! This is where it starts to get good people! Reviews are love!**_


	6. 6: Birthday Presents and Plots

**Chapter 6**

**Birthday Presents and Plots**

I wake up still feeling happy. I look at the foot of my bed and see a small pile of gifts. I look over at Lily's bed as she opens the curtain around it and looks at me with a big smile. She runs over and jumps in my bed. Her red hair is frizzy and sticks up at weird angels. I can't help but laugh to myself at her appearance.

She reaches over me and grabs a purple parcel that is attached to a black one by an orange ribbon with little dancing pumpkins on it. She hands it to me.

"This one first, it's from me!" I smile at her excitement as I untie the bow. I tie my hair up with it and begin to rip the paper off the black one first. I look down at it and see it's a Complete Guide to All Things Wolfish. "It's an updated accurate account of werewolf habit and customs. I know how much you love your werewolves. You've seen the original wolf man movie more times then I dare to count." We both laugh. "Go on open the next one. Remus helped pick it out; it's from both of us really. I never would have thought to get it for you without him." It's a small purple package. I rip off the paper and see a red velvet jewelry box. I open it up slowly and look down at it. Inside nestled on a cushion of silk is a silver charm bracelet with three little charms on it.

There is a wolf, a full moon, and an opal heart, which is my birthstone. "It's beautiful Lily!" I feel like crying it's so breathtakingly beautiful. I put it in her hand and hold out my wrist. "Put it on for me will you?"

She smiles and does the clasp up for me. "Don't forget to thank Remus too; he's the one who picked it out."

I shake my head. "It's beautiful Lily, I'll be sure to tell him." I wrap my arms around her and hug her tight.

"Well go on, what else did you get?" I open my other gifts. Severus gave me a new sketch book and an expensive set of colored pencils. A small card falls out from the sketch book when I open it.

_Happy Birthday my dear!_

_I hope you didn't think that drawing you were doing the night we met escaped my notice. It was lovely, but I think it could use some color. So here is for new drawings and a splash of color for the old ones. I also have a canvas and paints for you. I'm requesting a painting for my room, something for when summer comes to remember you by I suppose._

_Anyway have a wonderful Birthday Gracie. Hope to see you today so I can say it in person._

_Love,_

_Your brother,_

_~Sev_

My face gets all hot. The boy has a way of making me very happy. Lily smiles at me as she reads over the letter.

"Is he in love with you Gracie?"

"Nope, not his type."

"What is his type?" I gap at her. All the years they have been friends and she really doesn't know?

"Lily! He plays for the other team! How could you not know that!"

"What! No he doesn't!"

"Lily, he even told me who he likes! He's very gay, I'm sure of it!"

"What the HELL! I'm going to have a talk with him next time I see him! Why wouldn't he tell me!"

"Maybe he thought you already knew." She glares just like Sev; they have known each other far too long. "Just don't tell him I told you so bluntly act like you had to rip it from me."

"Yeah, sure whatever." She's clearly thinking about how to get him back for this. I ignore her and open my other gifts.

My dad sent me a bestiary book. My aunt sent me tiny model of the moon that changed as the moon did. It was full, I couldn't help but laugh. Of course the day I come of age would be a full moon. I had just told Remus I would love to see if a werewolf called to me once I was of age.

Suddenly I feel a twinge of nervousness that I can't place as my own; it went away within seconds but was still strange. I looked down at the foot of my bed, there were no more gifts, but there was a tiny envelope. I picked it up; there was no name on it. I opened it and looked at Lily. She was just as curious as I was. I opened it to see…

_Happy Birthday!_

_Remember, after the feast, by the lake._

_I'll be waiting._

_-Remus Lupin_

Lily gave a little squeak of happiness. "How come you didn't tell me you had a date with Remus tonight!" she looked utterly outraged.

"Well I didn't see you did I? You were off with James and him." Her eyes narrowed in a glare. I'm going to stay up all night if I have to; when you get back you are going to tell me everything!"

I nod fervently; I do not want to cross Lily when gossip is on the line.

She suddenly jumps off my bed and begins to scramble around for clothes. "Where are you off to?" She looks at me reluctantly.

"I'm sorry, I know it's your birthday, but I promised James and Sirius I would watch them at quidditch practice. You can come with me if you like. James has wanted to officially meet you."

I give her a scoffing laugh. "Yeah when he's not snogging your face off I'm sure!" Her face turns as read as her hair.

"I wouldn't be one to talk! If all goes well I'm sure you'll be the one ditching me to go snog Remus!"

"That's what separates good friends from bad ones isn't it? I would never leave you on _your_ birthday to go snog a boy. That's only you Lily." I have an amused pout on my face.

"Hey! You said it yourself; you have been trying to get me to say yes to James for five years! You can't get mad at me for wanting to make up for lost time."

"I can if I was the one trying to get you with him for those five years. It's not my fault you're as stubborn as a mule!" She skips over to me and kisses me on the forehead.

"Have a good day love, have fun! I'll be back as soon as possible and I'll make it up to you!" She runs for the door.

"Don't bother I'll be out on the grounds and then hopefully I'll see Sev."

"Fine. See, you don't even need me." I roll my eyes at her as she skips out the room.

I tumble out of bed and get my clothes on. In honor of Halloween I put on an Orange shirt that has a picture of a pumpkin that actually winks. I then add a yellow skirt and black leggings. I sit on the edge of my bed and pull on some brown boots and head out the door while I slip my heavy black coat over my shoulders.

I head down to breakfast and teachers wish me a happy birthday as they pass. I eat slowly enjoying my meal. When I'm done I leave the hall and head down to the kitchens. I realize this is odd after having just eaten but as I climb in the elves all rush me.

"Can I have hot chocolate in a travel cup please?" they all rush off and a little girl one come back handing me and large warm travel mug with a waving ghost on it.

I step out and wave at them, my new charm bracelet jingles pleasantly. I had almost forgotten about it. I look at the little charms again with a smile.

I walk out to the grounds, the newly fallen leaves all crunch under my boots. I go visit W.W. again. He hugs me as always. But this time one long branch moves towards the ground and picks something up. The branch moves back to me and places something in my hand. I look down to see a small shiny brown acorn. I have just gotten my first birthday present from a tree. It hugs me again and I kiss the soft bark before turning and going down to the lake.

The squid also presents me with a gift. A long tentacle springs from the water and places a purple clam in my hand. I open it and see a shimmering black pearl. I smile and wave happily at the water. "I love you too!" The squid's tentacle waves and goes back under the water's surface. I look down at the pearl. It's defiantly real, but the lake isn't even salt water, curious. I slip the clam into my pocket along with the acorn and go back up to the dorms.

I spend the rest of the morning and early afternoon drilling tiny holes in the acorn and pearl. I find tiny links for other bracelets in my trunk and use them to add the acorn and pearl to my new bracelet.

When I'm done I head down to the library in search of my favorite Slytherin. Sure enough he is there waiting for me. His head snaps up as I walk in as if he sensed me. He stands up and walks over to me, meeting me halfway. He lifts me up in a big hug and spins me once before placing me back down. He looks me up and down taking in my funny Halloween outfit.

"That is a great outfit… very, festive?"

"Yes it is! It's my favorite holiday even without it being my birthday."

"How _is_ your birthday going so far my dear?" There is a big smile on his face. I can't help but smile back.

"It's going splendidly! Thank you so much for the sketch book and pencils!"

"I thought it was only fitting that your gift had to do with art since it was what you were doing when we met."

"I agree it was very thoughtful of you. I think the canvas and paints was overboard though. The sketch book was enough."

He waves a hand at me in a way that shows I should think nothing of it. "I must admit those are more for me. I would love to have a painting from you. You are very talented." I blush at him and look down towards the ground.

"How about we get started on it. I can work on it gradually when we have time." He smiles again and nods. He grabs my hand and leads me from the Library. We carry on in this fashion until we reach the Dungeons. He stops but doesn't let go of my hand as he enters the Slytherin Dorms.

"Umm, Sev, I don't think I should go in there." I try to pull back and stop him from going in but he's not having that.

"Grace, no one will even notice, like you I am not usually very noticeable in the common room." I look down at myself.

"Usually I would agree, but Sev, look at what I'm wearing! There is no way I'm going to be able to sneak through there without us being noticed." He looks me over again with a smirk.

"I'm pretty sure they still won't notice anyway." With that said he tugs me along again.

I am right, Sev is wrong. Apparently the sight of my dear Sev with a girl is so odd it grabs everyone's attention. Cold accusing eyes glare at me and Severus as we make our way across the Green and silver room. We climb the stairs up to his dorm and go into his room. Slytherin's don't share space like the Gryffindor's do.

"Why don't you share a room with the other 6th year boys?"

"Oh, Slytherin's are to wealthy to play nice enough to _share_, can you imagine Lucius sharing anything? Especially a living space for a whole year?" I think about it for a moment and then shake my head.

"Yeah, he would go ballistic within a few hours of listening to the other boys snore." Severus turns to me with a raised eyebrow. Then we both laugh.

"Yes I can imagine that would be the case. So anyway, we all have our own rooms." He motions for me to sit on a stool in the middle of his surprisingly clean room. He flicks his wand towards a corner in the room and an easel and paints float towards me. They set themselves up around me with another flick of Severus' wand and I'm ready. He moves over to his bed and makes himself comfortable.

"So what do you want me to paint for you?"

"Whatever you want. It's just for fun!" I nod once then look at my canvas.

"So…. Are you going to tell me what happened with you and Lupin last night?" My cheeks flush as I dip my paintbrush in a pale blue color.

"Well, I finally let him talk to me; although he caught me by surprise I thought he was Lily." Sev looks at me with a raised eyebrow. "She had just left and I thought she forgot to tell me something! Don't give me that look! Anyway, he apologized for himself and Sirius. It's a long story but I told him that I was okay with it, and that I just want to make sure he watches out for Lily too, and I told Remus that thing about him choosing the Marauders over me."

"_And…_ I know there is more; Lily told me you have a date with him tonight after the feast." A smile creeps over my lips and I dip my brush in Slytherin green.

"He did. I'm supposed to meet him by the lake tonight and we're just going to talk and walk around the lake."

"That sounds nice."

"I hope so." There is a silence; it's comfortable, not awkward. Severus closes his eyes and lies back on the bed. But a thought occurs. "Hey… Sev, when did you talk to Lily, she didn't have time for me because she went to watch Sirius and James practice quidditch. Did they finish early?" I look at him as I wait for a response, his cheeks are pink again.

"Mhm, you were already there weren't you?"

"You love to torment me don't you Leafling?" Ha ha, he only uses my last name when I'm right!

"You were there to watch Sirius fly weren't you?"

"Oi! Shut up! The man is a bloody stupid git but that doesn't mean he doesn't look sexy flying around on that broom of his." I start giggling madly.

Suddenly there is a feeling of happiness inside me that isn't mine, I'm happy but it's more than me. That's the second time today! I shake it off and go back to my painting. "Speaking of Sirius when do you want to start the transformation from sneery Slytherin to sex god?"

"I thought that was a joke! Gracie… it can't be done!" He flourishes his hands above him as he lies on the bed. "Look at me! My hair looks greasy, my nose is huge! And my over all Slytherin air could suffocate someone if they got to close."

I frown deeply at him, "you're ridiculous. I don't know if you realize this but girls love gay men, they fascinate us. I know what they want and I know what attracts them. I can make you shag worthy in a matter of hours. With the right spells of course."

I dab at my painting as I assume he stares open mouthed at me. "You're really going to do this for me?"

"I do not approve of your choice in men at ALL! But, I love you, and I only want you to be happy. If you think Black will make that happen then I will do whatever it takes to make sure he notices you in a positive way."

"Grace, even if he does notice me like that, what makes you think he'll stick around after he knows I'm interested? He isn't known for his lasting relationships by any means. In fact I'm pretty sure if someone said they wanted to date him regularly he would run in the other direction screaming!" I hold back a smile.

"I know, but I'm going to teach you how to have an iron will." My heart races as I see the look of shock and happiness in Sev's eyes. "I'll teach you everything you'll need to know to get Sirius wrapped around your finger. I'll teach you how to make him beg for you until he can't stand it any longer. He'll beg for you until he will literally crawl on his knees!" I stand up and stalk towards his place on the bed. A fierceness flickers in my blue eyes. "And right when he thinks you will never go for him, right when he thinks you will never want him, his confidence shot. When he can't get you out of his head as the only person he has ever wanted but couldn't have, when he has finally been out done by a sexier man than himself!" I run my fingers under Severus' chin playfully seductive to make my point. "He'll corner you in an abandoned hallway perhaps, something supposedly unexpected. You will take the upper hand; dominate what has never willingly fallen to another… You will give him the tiniest of kisses. You will barley brush his full lips with yours. The most chaste of kisses ever to be had. You'll leave his heart pounding harder than any silly little twat before you as you glide away. He'll be so captivated by the mystery that is Severus Snape he won't be able to think straight! Your mysterious desire for him that you won't even succumb to yourself will leave him confused and love struck!"

Severus eyes are wide; he's starring at me captivated. I smirk down at him. "Yes… and then what?"

"You'll do no more then give him a lingering smile at meal times and during shared classes, he'll pine for more, but you won't give in. You'll wait patiently and soundly until he can't bear the thought of you without wanting to feel you writhing beneath him. The urges will become too great within a matter of days. It won't even take a full week!"

"He'll find you himself. He'll search the whole castle if necessary. And when he finds you… when he sees you for the first time in the plainest of places doing nothing out of the ordinary, his heart will beat like a snitches wings, your mundane perhaps appearance and activity will mean nothing. To him you'll look like a god! He will finally have to have you and he'll have won… or so he'll think! In reality, this has all been _your_ game… and you will be victorious. An unused classroom will be the diving board for yet another attack at his weakening nerves. There you will make your kill."

"The kiss that will make him undyingly yours will be moments away from his outstretched hand." I reach my hand out over Severus for the best effect possible. A little theatrics to show how well this plan will undoubtedly work. "He'll be nothing but clay for you to mold and love. This one kiss will be his undoing, you will able to do no wrong. You will be the man that captured the untamable _Black _lion's heart. Maybe you'll go as far as a long fingered hand just under the hem of his shirt. But you'll leave him there, his lips still kissing air as you sweep from the room with a promise of more to come."

"You'll seek him out when he is about to give up hope that you will do with him what he has assumed he wanted from the beginning. You'll lead him to a romantic spot of _your_ choosing. Candles and silk will be the backdrop for a night that neither of you will ever forget."

"You'll show him how sex ought to be. You'll kiss his body until he writhes beneath _you_. He'll _want _to return the favor. Show you the pleasure you have just given him. And then, when you call his name in the softest of voices. Your deep rumbling voice sending chills through him… he'll submit to you. The man who has given him what he didn't even know he wanted. You'll claim him as only you have ever been able too. You will take the lion that was never before tamable. And he will be yours. No one will ever compare. Maybe he could look, but why bother. The man he has always unknowingly longed for wants him in return. The man who captured his heart will show that love is what he had been missing. This knowledge is what will make him stay in your arms forever. Your intelligence and need for the best will make him stay. It will be the thing that had always separated you from the others. Your determination to get what _you_ want above all others, he'll feel like your prize." Severus' face falls I know he doesn't want Sirius to feel that way. So I now make the kill that will convince my dear sweet Severus that Black _will_ want him, it can't fail. "But don't fret dear Sev, I know that's not what you want, Sirius _will_ feel special, but he'll take great comfort in knowing that he has also won his ultimate prize. He thought he would never have you! You were almost the man that got away, but in the end you came back to him. It will be like no prize before."

Severus blinks a few times as I take my place in front of my easel again.

"Grace… I… "

"Yes Sev?"

"That sounds like the most amazing thing I have ever heard."

"But…?"

"Will it work? Will he really want me like that?"

I smile reassuringly at him, "it will once I clean you up just a bit. Like I said, a haircut and some new clothes will have his attention. Once you have that, my plan is fool proof. As long as you can keep your cool and not go looking after _him_, you'll be successful."

"What if I can't control myself?"

"You're a Slytherin for shits sake! You are known for your control under tough situations."

He shakes his head in agreement. "I've waited for intimacy this long; I can wait a little more. Especially if the payoff is as wonderful as you describe it."

"Trust me Sev… it will be."

I examine my painting. It's not even close to finished but I feel good anyway. I look down at my watch. It's almost time for the feast!

"Sev! The feast is about to start!" I jump to my feet and grab his arm dragging him from the bed. We walk quickly down through the now empty common room and thru the dungeons and up towards the great hall. We enter only about a minute late. I hug Severus and take a seat next to Lily. I look up and down the table. James is nowhere to be seen along with the other Marauders.

"Where are those silly Marauders?"

"I don't know, said they had something top secret to do." I scrunch my face up in confusion as Lily shrugs at me.

As we eat the amazing meal I show her the new charms on my bracelet and tell her about my day with Severus… although I leave out my intense plan for him and Sirius. I want everyone to be completely surprised when they see him.

She admires my charms. "I always know how to pick the coolest friends. I don't know how you found me!" We both laugh and joke until the feast is over. We get up and walk out together but part ways as I go down to meet Remus at the lake with a promise to tell her everything.

_**Oh god the image I get of Sev in those outfits is sickly sinful! I hope you all agree! Ha ha and because I can't help myself I ave started a extra side story telling you all of the way this little plot unfolds from the eyes of the two men involved! Mainly Sev.**_


	7. 7: A Wolfish Grin

**Chapter 7**

**A Wolfish Grin**

I get down to the lake a few minutes later expecting Remus to already be there. I'm surprised and a little disappointed when he's not. I sit down on the beach to wait.

I wait and hour. I feel guilty for a moment and it's gone, again not my own. That's the third time today. It's starting to freak me out a little.

I have now waited two hours. The sky is turning an inky black; the full moon comes into existence slowly shining down at the ground making the dewy grass sparkle like the stars. I stand up ready to give up, he's not coming. Whatever he had to do with the Marauders turned out to be more important than this. I can't say a part of me didn't see this coming. I need a pick me up! I walk towards where W.W. is. I need to see him again. But it's getting very dark out. Just as I step over a little hill that looks down at the tree I see three shapes move under it. I sprint down the hill towards W.W. His branches are swinging around as if he is trying to catch whatever it is that was just under him. The branches focus on a specific spot at his roots.

I hold my hands up and try to calm him down. He settles once he senses me. I run over and pat a large root before ducking down to where he was swinging his branches. I pull my wand out.

"Lumos!" there is a small hole between two roots that lead to an underground tunnel. I look around and climb down into it. My heart is pounding; I should really go back and get someone. But I'm already here, and someone could have been hurt by the tree. I run down the tunnel ducking down so I don't hit my head on rocks or roots.

There is a sharp pain in my ribs, and then my back, and my face. And then… it's over I feel perfectly fine again. These feelings aren't mine. I can't figure out what's going on, but I have to keep going. I can't think about this now. Someone could be hurt. Finally I burst out the end of the tunnel as light streams in my eyes. I stand up and look around.

"Is this the Shrieking Shack?" I whisper to myself, I'm scared; I've never been in here before. I take a few steps. But the floor boards creak mercilessly. I look around and hear a creak that I did not make. I look over to where it came from and I see the strangest thing. A great big stag and a large black dog are staring at me.

Their eyes widen as mine do. Suddenly the stag charges at me. I leap to the side just in time. It skids to a stop and turns around to face me again. It looks around and nods at the dog who then disappears behind a door.

I turn back to the stag only to see James.

"What are you doing here? Grace, you have to leave now! It's not safe for you here! Lilly would kill me if she knew how much danger you're in!"

"_Me, _you're the idiots that got the Whomping Willow all pissed off! I had to make sure he didn't hurt anyone."

"He didn't, now you should leave. What were you even doing out on the grounds this late?"

"I could ask you the same thing!"

"GRACE! Just answer the question!"

"I was waiting for Remus! It's my birthday; he said he wanted to walk around the lake with me." James's face cracks in a smile for a split second before turning hard again.

"That idiot." He looks me in the eyes. "I'm going to talk to him; he'll be there tomorrow night okay?"

I'm just about to nod. I don't want any trouble. I move to leave when I hear a great pounding sound. Both James and my head snap up.

There, just a few feet away is a large wolf standing on its hind legs. The black dog is barking behind it. I turn back to James who is now a stag again. He runs over to the wolf, but it is not having any of that. It brushes James aside like a rag doll and runs towards me.

The dog barks and lungs at the wolf but misses. I feel anger and curiosity, and I still don't understand it.

The wolf comes right up to me snarling, it doesn't seem to give a second thought to the others. It leans in over me and sniffs me. His wet nose moves and nuzzles and sniffs the side of my face and neck. I stay as still as possible trying to relax and stay calm.

Then just as quickly as it leaned over me, it's backed away. James and the black dog look at each other than me. My eyes are so wide they start to water but I don't dare look away from the wolf even though I feel a sudden ease settle over me.

I look up into its eyes, the wolfs eyes are a light honey brown… Honey brown. Suddenly realization dawns on me.

"Remus?" The stag is James, so the dog must be Black… that's why Remus was so curious to know what I thought of werewolves. I look at James. "That's right isn't it? It's Remus. He's a werewolf!" The stag nods. I reach my hand out slowly palm up, my bracelet jingles as I move. Remus looks down at it curiously for a moment. Then to the surprise of all present he leans into my hand and nuzzles the palm. I can feel love… or admiration? Something happy and content.

And that's when it hits me. Remus is a werewolf. I turned 17 this morning. That's when all these feelings that aren't my own started. I can see my old werewolf book in my head as a flash. The part on mating pops into view. I can sense someone else's emotions. And Remus didn't hurt me when he saw me! This can only mean one thing.

I'm Remus Lupin's mate! Extreme happiness flutters through my whole body. Remus stops nuzzling me and looks into my eyes. He leans in and nuzzles my neck instead, but lovingly this time. He could feel my happiness.

I run my finger through his soft fur. He backs away slowly and turns to the other two who continue to look at me with disbelief. I shrug my shoulders. I can't explain it either. They look at each other and run back into the room they came from followed by Remus.

The rest of the night I watch as the other three play tag and wrestle. Finally the sun rises. I can't help but laugh to myself. I hope Lily wasn't serious when she said she would stay up all night if she had to so she could hear about my 'date'.

The morning sun peaks through a little window high in the room. James walks over to me and nudges me towards the door. At first I don't understand and I'm a little annoyed.

I'm grateful moments later when I hear the cracking and snapping of Remus' bones as he changes back. I can feel that sharp pain I felt earlier make its way through my body, I double over in pain. James nudges me wordily. I brush him away and stand up slowly trying to smile reassuringly at him. I can't help but feel extremely sad for poor Remus. He has to feel that every full moon and it's probably twice as bad for him. I only feel an echo of it.

When it's over the stag turns back to James and gives me a little smile. He runs to the room we were just in and comes out a minute later with Black. They are supporting Remus between them. His chest is heaving and tears trickle down to the ground. I can feel my heart wanting to break at the sight of him in so much pain.

I turn back to the opening I came through and light my wand for the dark tunnel. I lead them down it slowly making sure they can see where they're going.

It seems like hours before we get to the other side.

"I'm going to go up and make sure W.W. stays calm while you guys take him up to the castle. I'll meet up with you when I can.

"Okay, thanks Grace." James nods and begins to walk away.

Black stops them and turns to me with a serious face. "Grace-" I put and hand on his shoulder and shake my head.

"Worry about Remus we can talk later. Promise." With one last look over my shoulder at Remus I jump though the hole and catch W.W.'s attention. He's too distracted with me to notice the others come through the opening and head towards the school.

I say goodbye to my old friend and sprint to catch up with them. By the time I do I'm heavily out of breathe. I try to help get Remus to the hospital wing. It's a slow process. None of us has gotten a wink of sleep in close to twenty four hours.

We enter the hospital and Madame Pomfrey bustles to us. She has obviously been waiting impatiently to get Remus to a bed for care. Once Remus is in a bed she turns to us.

"Thank you as always boys for your… help?" She has just noticed me. "Miss Leafling? What are you doing here?"

To my surprise Black answers before I can… and he has a huge smile on his face. "This crazy bird thought the Whomping Willow had taken a swing at one of us and came to rescue us, only to find out about Remus' _furry little problem_." Her face looks utterly horror struck.

"HAVE YOU BEEN BITTEN!"

"Nope! Remus just sniffed her, then nuzzled her and went back to playing tag with us." The look of horror hasn't left her face.

"How… how is that… possible?" Neither James nor Sirius can answer that. All three turn to look at me.

"Can I explain to you all after I've told Remus, assuming he doesn't remember what happens during a full moon it really is something he should hear before other people?"

"He usually doesn't remember much, so I'm okay if you would like to tell him first, although he'd better wake up soon. Sirius is an anxious person." Madame Pomfrey looks at each of us in turn, examining us with her wise bright eyes.

"Off to bed! You can come see him at a decent hour. Go off with you, get some sleep!" She's practically barking orders. The other two scamper off immediately, but they are used to this routine. I on the other hand can't help but be swallowed up with worry… I am his mate after all. I stop at the door and look back over my shoulder at Madame Pomfrey fussing over his sleeping body.

I try to draw all my love for him so he can feel it too as I leave the room slowly. I'm so tired, my whole body feels heavy. I know once I get to my warm bed and lay down to sleep it won't come. I'm too worried and anxious, and excited. And I can't help but laugh at how well I know myself sometimes.

Did I not predict I would fall in love with a werewolf? Did I not say I would laugh about it? To top it off I'm his MATE! I mean what the hell! Right? The really funny part is that for all that I see and hear in this school, I somehow completely missed the now obvious signs.

I can't remember seeing any of the Marauders around during the full moon since I got here. And Remus always seems so worried about how he comes across, it should all have been very obvious to the quiet girl that hears and sees everything.

I still can't help but laugh as I stand in front of the Portrait guarding Gryffindor and mumble the password. I don't even bother going up to my bed. I just lay across the soft old leather couch. I watch the dying fire crackling softly in the fireplace.

Finally a little over three hours later the rest of the castle begins to stir. I jump off the couch. I was right when I didn't think I would sleep. I couldn't. I just lay their silently trying to sense any of Remus' feeling I could and trying to send Happiness and love back.

All that is gone as my legs once again run me to the Hospital Wing. I stand outside trying to catch my breath so I can calmly walk in. The last thing I want is For Madame Pomfrey to get mad at me and kick me out.

I push the doors open and quietly walk over to Remus' bed. I pull a chair up to the side of it and sit myself down. I look at him sleeping. He looks so tired and weak. I feel a sadness at seeing him like this again. I reach out and grab his hand.

A rush of warmth spreads through me. It feels right to hold his hand. It's overwhelmingly comforting. I let out a sigh of happiness and that's when he opens his eyes.

Slowly his eyes part and look around the room. His hand squeezes mine lightly. As if he feels it but doesn't recognize what it is yet. He squeezes his eyes shut then opens them to a normal position and looks around again, actually seeing things.

He scans the room and finally his eyes fall on me. I take a deep breath and hold it as he looks me over. His face is scrunched up in confusion. He looks down at our hands and squeezes it again. I let out the breath slowly.

"What are you doing here? No one except Siri and James should know I'm here."

I give him a sideways smile. "You missed our date." I know it seems like I didn't hear him. "I waited for two hours." He tries to say something but I stop him. "Don't worry about it. I know you felt really guilty about leaving me waiting. You suffered enough for it. You've suffered enough to leave me waiting a hundred times." I rub my thumb over the back of his hand.

"How did you know I felt guilty and how do know I've suffered?"

"I could feel it. I felt guilt and sadness, followed by a sharp pain that coursed through my body. I felt all the strong emotions you did yesterday."

His face is still scrunched. "Ahh, took me a little while too, and I know you're still very sleepy so I'll explain it for you. Moony already knows, but James said you don't really remember what happens when you're in your werewolf state." His eyes get wide in shock.

"Grace, I'm sorry you weren't supposed to find out like that! I can't believe James would tell you that!" I shake my head at him with a smile.

"After I had waited for you for so long I gave up and went to say goodnight to W.W. before going to bed. I saw the three of you disappear under the tree and went after you because I figured someone had gotten hurt by the tree he was lashing around so hard. I felt you change, it was very unpleasant and I imagine it was twice as bad for you. We'll have to talk about that more later." He smiles weakly and nods. "James and Sirius heard the floor board's creek as I stepped out of the tunnel. They came out and tried to get me to leave. I was just about to when you came out and saw me."

"OH MY MERLIN!"

"Remus you have to calm down or Pomfrey will kick me out!" he settles down slightly, obviously not wanting me to leave, he stops yelling at least and settles for and angry whisper.

"I could have killed you, or bitten you! I'm not sure which is worse!" I nod again.

"Yeah for a moment everyone thought that was what would happen, but you came over to me and just sniffed me a lot. Then you nuzzled the side of my face and backed off a little. I felt you relax, and I felt your happiness with me. I took a chance. I held my hand out palm up to you. For a second you didn't do anything, and then you nuzzled it and then nuzzled my neck right where I said I would have my werewolf mate bite me." He seems to have this shocked look permanently glued to his face. "I even ran my fingers through your soft fur." As I say it a run my fingers through his fringe. His eyes close in a happy manner at my touch. "You stopped about a minute after and just went and played with Black and James. I watched until the sun rose and then I made sure the tree didn't kill anyone while they dragged you to the hospital. Madame Pomfrey was very surprised to see me."

Remus lets out a long breath in a great whoosh. "I'm still a little groggy… why didn't I kill or bite you?"

"Ahh, yes, this is where the good part comes in… well I hope it's good. I thought it was amazing but, I don't know how you feel about me and-"

"Grace? Can you please just tell me what is going on between us?" I look down at our hands. I don't want to see his face if he doesn't like that I'm his mate.

"…I'm your mate Remus. That's why I could feel your emotions, and that's why Moony didn't attack me and in fact nuzzled the hell out of my neck and face. Which is very interesting by the way! You didn't even have to bite me!" His face looks like he stopped listening after I said I was his mate then suddenly I hear him yell.

'_HELL YES!' _My head shoots up and I stare at him. He's looking at me with happy eyes.

"Hell yes to what exactly?" He raises an eyebrow at me.

"I haven't said anything since you told me you're my mate."

"_No…_ I just heard you say hell yes, is it a good hell yes?"

"Grace, I didn't say that out loud." We stare at each other for a few long minutes.

"Well, that better have been a 'hell yes' as in I'm so happy Grace is my mate way because… I think it means we aren't just mates Remus… We're soul mates." Excitement shoots across our faces. "Remember when I told you some could hear each other's thoughts? But they had to be soul mates not just regular mates?" His whole face lights up and I can feel an extreme happiness well inside my whole body like a glass ready to overflow with butter beer.

He can feel it too. His chest swells as it fills him. And like a flash he's out of the bed and his arms are wrapped around my middle. I reach up and lace my fingers around behind his head. He pulls back and looks into my eyes again.

"Merlin. That was defiantly a happy hell yes. I know I only got to know you a little over a week ago, but from that first conversation I felt like I had known you my entire life. Then when we talked again later in front of the fire, it was like I never wanted anything so much in my life then to just look into those pretty blue eyes of yours."

"You're sure about this? You want me? What will Sirius say?"

"I'm pretty sure you letting a dangerous dark creature like a werewolf _nuzzle_ you kinda makes you a bad ass, and that automatically wins you major points with Sirius."

"Okay well, you're sure you want _me_? I'm just so-" Before I can say anything else his lips descend upon mine.

They move softly and slowly, both of us savoring this moment. Our first kiss. This is everything a first kiss should be. This is what I've been waiting for all these years, what in my heart, I was holding out for. A minute after the kiss began his lips slowly and reluctantly pull away from mine. They touch as long as possible and still they are only an inch apart.

His warm breath mingles with mine as we just stare at each other.

'_Merlin I love you.' _

'_I love you too Gracie.' _

I realize we said it through thought. It just makes me smile more. In fact I'm still smiling as I press my lips to his once again. This kiss is longer and more passionate. His hands move to my hips, his thumbs rub little circles as my fingers glide through his soft hair.

He pulls me closer and deepens this kiss with a swipe of his tongue along my bottom lip. My lips part slightly and his tongue slips in. It feels warm and wet, an odd feeling, but also amazing, my head is spinning.

'_Wow, he has really soft lips.'_ He laughs into our kiss and I can feel the corners of his lips tilt up. I suddenly remember he could hear that. I'll have to research how to control that.

Suddenly we hear a loud gasp of outrage and jump apart as we look towards the source of the noise. Madam Pomfrey is glaring at us. "Miss Leafling! Mr. Lupin should be in bed, not kissing you!" She turns to Remus with scowl that would make a Slytherin tremble. "And you! You should know better Mr. Lupin! You know how tired you get after a change. I thought you were above Black in that you didn't let a girl influence your good judgment!" I can't help but raise an indignant eye brow at that little comment.

'_I'm not sure if I should laugh or be offended. She sure got Sirius pegged though!'_ I can hear Remus snicker a little under his breath.

'_Does she not know yet, you didn't tell her?'_

'_I didn't tell anyone. I wanted you to know first since you're the one I'm mated with!' _

'_Then this will be fun!'_ I look over at him as he turns to Madam Pomfrey. "You are very right Madam Pomfrey; I wouldn't let just any girl override my good judgment…. But Grace isn't just any girl, she's my Soul Mate." Madam Pomfrey's expression quickly changes to one of extreme curiosity, then quickly back to irritated.

"I don't care who you're mated to, although I must commend you on your taste." We both raise an eye brow at her as she shakes her head as if she is trying to forget she just said that. "Anyway, it doesn't mean you can just go jumping out of bed after the kind of night you had!"

"Actually, my books said something about mates being able to help heal their werewolves." Remus looks down at himself as if checking to see if it's true. He looks back between us.

"Well?" Madam Pomfrey is looking curious again.

"Well… I haven't felt this good or happy in a very long time. I feel great. I woke up feeling great with this overwhelming sense of love, now that I think about it." I beam at them both.

"Score one for me!" I bow in a show offish manner. "That would be thanks to me!" He smiles and walks over to me and raps a long arm around my waist.

"Well, then I guess you may go Mr. Lupin. But, if you feel at all sick or tired suddenly during the day you will spend the night here!" We both nod. Neither of us dares to defy the wise nurse.

Her face spreads with a smile. She looks ten years younger as she walks over to us. She hugs us both and then leans back, keeping a hand on each of our shoulders. "You have good taste Mr. Lupin. This one is a keeper, she is both brilliant and pretty." I feel a bit shocked. Twice in one day! Never before has anyone other than my dad said that to me, and now twice! My mind reels with all the information there is to process.

Remus' lips brush my temple. "I couldn't agree more Madam Pomfrey! Now if you don't mind I have a lot to make up for!" The nurse nods and turns to go back to her office.

Remus gives me another kiss to the temple then let's go of my waist to grab his shoes. I feel oddly incomplete without his arm around me. It's not quiet unpleasant, but still makes me shift around uncomfortably for a few seconds.

Remus slips his shoes on and grabs my hand, the feeling is instantly gone. He practically drags me from the room as we jog all the way up to Gryffindor tower. We're laughing at the ridiculousness of the sudden situation. We still laugh as Remus says the password to The Fat Lady. She gives us a curious look but swings open for us none the less. We hop through and look around for the other Marauders and Lily.

They are all sitting at a table by one of the many windows to the right. We go over to them and smile down at them. They all look up in shock.

"Remus? What are you doing out of bed mate?" James says with a half smile.

"Yeah, and what is going on with Leafling here?" Sirius also has a smile creeping up his lips that I am pleased to see.

Lilly gapes at our held hands then slowly up at me. "Are you two dating now!"

I smile and Remus drags me into his lap as he sits down across from them. "We're mates."

"Actually we're soul mates but that doesn't really change the dynamics of the situation much for you three." I smile at them as they continue to stare open mouthed at us. Suddenly Lily's arms are wrapped tightly around my neck.

"Li- Lily! I can't….b… breath!" She loosens her hold but continues to stare at me.

"Wait Mates? Why did you use that wording?" I share a look with Remus.

'_Can I tell her you're a werewolf? She's the only one of us that doesn't know right?'_

'_That's only fair, you're both basically Marauders now. I always meant to tell her, but not everyone is as understanding as you are.' _I simile and give him an affectionate little kiss.

"What was that? You both just totally went into your own little world with each other!" I turn to Lily with a smile.

"Remus is a werewolf. I'm his mate." I turn to James. "The eye contact thing was us talking to each other. We can read each other's thoughts because we are Soul Mates on top of being werewolf mates." They are gaping again.

"Is that why Moony didn't rip you to shreds last night!" Sirius looks excited.

"WHAT! GRACIE WAS WITH YOU LAST NIGHT! You said it was extremely dangerous! I wasn't allowed to go with you because I could get hurt! But, what Grace gets to go and she isn't even a Marauder!"

"Very tactful Siri!" James is glaring at him as Lily's glare penetrates the back of his skull.

"Oi! I wasn't invited! Look it's complicated and it really would have been very dangerous for you. If I wasn't Remus' mate I would have been torn to pieces or bitten and changed myself." Her eyes narrow at me, then James.

"Fine I guess. But does this mean everyone gets to go out with Remus on full moons but me?" I laugh.

"Honestly unless you're one of these three it's kind of boring. They just wrestle and play tag which is all very hard to do when you're a human.

Sirius suddenly stands up. He walks around the table and stands in front of me. He pulls me to my feet and stares into my eyes. "I'm sorry for calling you a freak. That was really unfair and rude. I admit you are kinda weird, but so are we." He gestures to the other three. "After I saw you hold your hand out to Moony so willing ready to sacrifice everything for a chance. Well, that's extremely bad ass. And judging by the way you looked at him before all this, I know you really care about him, and then continuing to even _love_ him after knowing he's a werewolf! Well, I think you're actually kind of amazing." He leans in a hugs me tight. I hug him back. I know the hug is because he feels guilty about making me cry and stop talking for a week.

He pulls back with a watery smile only I notice. I sit back down in Remus lap and kiss him again. I can't help but smirk. _'I thought you weren't a dog person.' _I start giggling hysterically.

'_I guess they are growing on me.'_ We share a smile and kiss again. We drift into our own little world for a moment until Lily clears her throat.

"Well, this has all been exciting! I'm going to go tell Severus it finally happened and get my galleons!" Lily smiles and picks up her bag making to leave.

"Excuse me… what bet, what the hell have you and Severus been betting on me?"

"Well, I bet Severus that you and Remus would get together before 7th year. And he said you were to shy and self loathing to do anything more than the flirting that has been going on. And then he said that Remus, despite his brilliance on an academic level… wouldn't see a pretty girl fawn over him if she stripped in front of him." With that image in everyone's mind she skipped out.

Remus looked up at me. "I would defiantly have noticed you naked in front of me! You're beautiful Gracie! It would have caught my attention." James and Sirius share an unsure look.

"Yeah as long as your nose wasn't stuck in a book." James laughs. "Sirius would have been the one to see a naked girl first anyways. It's like he has a 6th sense for it or something." A smirk falls over my face that makes Sirius squint at me.

"Sorry Sirius, but we can call this payback for the freak comment." His eyes widen and he shakes his head furiously. He understood surprisingly fast. I give him a wicked smile. "I told you I saw and heard almost everything. You really think I didn't see you-" He jumps across the table and covers my mouth with his hands.

"Grace! Don't," he whines at me. I lick his hand and he pulls it back instantly whipping it on his shirt."You were going to have to tell them sometime, they are your best friends." He looks utterly distraught. "Black here wouldn't only have noticed a naked _girl_ he's bi. I saw him snogging a 3rd year boy about a month ago after everyone else had gone to bed."

"Why weren't you in bed anyways? Ugh it's always the quiet ones!"

"I was finishing a book. Don't blame me for your snogging of a boy in the _common_ room!" We glared at each other as Remus and James looked shocked.

"Why didn't you tell us mate? We're your best friends aren't we!" James looks hurt.

"Of course you are, but I didn't want you guys to think I was going to hit on you or anything." James shakes his head in disappointment.

"Glad you think so highly of me!"

"Wow! Shut up! You're being bloody idiots! A lot of people don't understand bisexuality, it's perfectly reasonable that he was afraid. No need to get all offended I'm sure he would have told you when he felt comfortable."

James pouted for another moment before turning and hugging Sirius. "You should know you can tell us anything mate. We're your brothers." Sirius just nods.

"I'm sorry mate, just insecure I guess." A secret smile hides on my lips as I think of the awesomeness that will be him and Severus. The smile quickly fades at a yawn takes over.

"Oi! Grace haven't you slept yet?" I shake my head in a defiant smile.

"To worried about you. Couldn't close my eyes when Pomfrey sent us back here. I just laid on the couch for three hours sending love to you. I haven't slept since the night before last." The three boys look at me with shock.

"She is TOTAL Marauder material. Nice picking their Remy!" He leans over the table and shakes my hand. "You're a total bad ass Leafling glad to have you on the team!" I beam at them; again it is overpowered by a yawn.

Remus smirks and kisses my neck. "Time for bed!" He pushes me off his lap and directs me toward my dorm.

"No! Remus… I don't want to leave you yet! I have to make sure you're going to be okay, I can sleep later!" Remus shakes his head. I can see the other two smiling hugely at me out of the corner of my eye.

"Oi! Remus, just go and sleep next to her! I know you could use some more sleep mate." Sirius gives us a wicked smile and winks.

"I like that plan!" Remus smiles sweetly.

"How could I say no to a nap with the love of my life?" He squeezes my hand and leads me to the boys' dorm since the boys can't get up to the girls rooms.

He leads me through the thoroughly messy room to the only clean corner. His bed is perfectly made and all his things are neat and in their proper places. "Wow you are neat for a boy."

"Is that a bad thing?"

I smile and get on my tip toes to give him a kiss. "Not at all, just another thing to like about you… although it's not like I really needed one." I crawl into his bed and lay down. He smirks down at me and crawls in after me. Once he's in I lay my head on his warm chest and tangle my legs with his. His warm arms wrap around me and I feel totally content.

"I love you Remy."

"I love you too Gracie." With that drifting through me I fall asleep listening to his strong steady heartbeat.

_**Squee with me peeps! How adorable are they? Tell me honestly! **_


	8. 8: Sexy Snake vs Pitiful Padfoot

**Chapter 8**

**Sexy Snake vs. Pitiful Padfoot**

When I wake up Remus' arms are still tight around me. I nuzzle his chest and open my eyes slowly. Judging by the light coming from the window it's still relatively early probably not later than lunch time. I sit up slowly. I don't want to wake Remus if he's still asleep. But he lets out a breath and runs his finger up my spine.

"Sleep well beautiful?"

"I did. Best nap ever with you around." We smile at the adorable sappiness of this situation. "So lunch time you think?"

"Yes, seems about that time. Are you prepared for snarky jokes about us sleeping together?"

"Well with Sirius around I better be." He smiles and leans over to kiss me soundly. His fingers tangle in my brown curls as rest my hand on his firm chest. We break away slowly with a sigh and a smile. "Well, with incentive like that I think I can take on a little teasing."

"Oh I'm sure! Black didn't make you a Marauder for nothing."

We slip out of bed and I catch a glimpse of myself in the boy's mirror.

"I better change first. I still look like Halloween exploded all over me!" Remus laughs but nods. We walk out of his dorm and he waits for me while I change into a new outfit. I pick out a muggle V-neck T-shirt that shows off my large breast size and a pair jeans that hug my legs. I walk down the stairs careful so I don't trip. Remus' head snaps up as I come down. Ironically he wolf whistles at me. I grin wide at him.

"How I never noticed you much before last week is beyond me."

"Your wolf was holding out for your mate, which you didn't know was me until yesterday. It's okay." I pat his chest. "I forgive you." I feel him watch me as I head for the portrait. When he catches up I smirk. "You sure know how to make a girl feel pretty."

"Was that ever a doubt for you?" He looks honestly shocked.

"Well I'm not the thinnest girl, and no boy ever really talked to me before you came around." He scowls at the ground.

"Wow, boys suck!" I laugh loudly.

"Ha ha… you're telling me!"

We get to the Great Hall hand in hand. Most have already started eating as we sit down next to the other Marauders.

As Remus predicted the jokes star up immediately.

"Well it looks as if she can walk right, what happened Remus, I thought that inner animal would come out in bed!" Sirius has a large smirk plastered to his face.

"Are you really talking about sexual ability? I overheard a Hufflepuff girl saying you didn't even last long enough to make her come... What was your ego to big? Couldn't even have the decency to make sure she had a good time too Black?" I lean over closer to him to get in his face. "Or is it you are just lacking in some areas?" The poor boy looks like he swallowed a snitch. I smirk wider overjoyed by his obvious discomfort. "Maybe that's why you boast so much about your quidditch skills… you have to…" My eyes flick down towards where his crotch would be if the table wasn't blocking my view. My eyes snap back to his within seconds."…_compensate._" The others look at me in shock. The look on Sirius' face is the most gratifying. With them all still staring at me I innocently as possible pop a piece of potato into my mouth and chew it slowly, enjoying the moment.

"Damn." I looked over to James who is now smiling. "She got you _good_ Sirius." I look at Sirius; his face is murderous as he tries to choose whether it should be aimed at James or me.

Sirius chooses James as he responds. "Shut up James! I bet you haven't even shagged Evans yet!"

At this Lilly pipes up. "Ha! You would like that wouldn't you. We've shagged… and he made me come ." She holds up two fingers. "Twice." The four of us snicker as Sirius glares at us in a way that would make a Slytherin jealous.

"You all suck! You're just jealous because I have more experience than the rest of you!"

"Experience doesn't mean you have skill, just means you're most desperate." I say it so matter of fact he huffs in rage.

"Does not!"

"Sirius… hunny? You ever think what you've been missing is a shag with someone you actually _care_ about?" The others make faces that look thoroughly agreed with this question. Sirius just splutters at me.

"Why did I want you to be a Marauder? You're nothing but trouble!" My sad inquisitive face melts to a winning smirk.

"Because I'm the bad ass that let a werewolf nuzzle my _neck_! And isn't that what you people do? Get into loads of trouble just for the fun of it?" I shake my head, "now eat your potatoes and shut it Black!" Everyone laughs even Sirius has to try not to smile.

We joke over the rest of lunch, Sirius apparently over his anger towards my truthful remarks.

It is possibly the best meal I had ever had at Hogwarts. The meal isn't anything exceptional but I'm having more fun than ever before. For the first time I have friends… as in multiple ones. It's an amazing feeling. I look over at Remus who gives me a sideways glance.

_'Why so happy all of the sudden?' _He smiles squeezes my knee under the table.

_'Nothing important. Can't I just be happy?'_

_ 'Of course, just wondering why, I'm not complaining especially since it makes me feel happy too.' _He's giving me that sideways smile that drives me crazy!

_'Well, that smile is making me pretty happy. You keep doing it and we'll be taking naps together more often.' I mentally wink._

He starts laughing, the other stare at us. "Care to share what you two were discussing while you were in your own little world over there?" Lily looks smug, "what exactly is so funny Remus?"

_'Tell them and those glorious naps will be nothing but a wish for something you could have had dear Remy.' _I look over and his smirk falters as I take a sip of water.

"Nothing just something about Sirius." Sirius scowls at me.

"Thanks for that Remus." I pat his shoulder firmly. "Good lookin' out for your girl."

Sirius tries to argue with me for the rest of the meal, but I didn't get into the Marauders because I'm going to take his sass, I got in because I'm smart enough to know how far to push and be pushed. I shoot down every one of his _comments _smirk and a well placed retort; he doesn't even know what's happening. Like Severus soon will show him, not everyone is oblivious to his bullshit and not everyone will let him get by on good looks.

We finish our meal and head back up to the common room.

~GL&RL~

"You know what I just realized?" We all look over at Sirius who is sitting on one of the overstuffed chairs by the fireplace. "I'm now the only Marauder that isn't dating anyone! How did this happen! I'm the one that gets around! How did this happen to _me_?"

I turn to face Sirius fully from my place in Remus' lap. "Didn't I already explain this to you dear?" He looks utterly confused. I can only sigh at his ridiculousness. "It's because you think sleeping with people will make you happy."

"Well isn't that how it works!" He looks utterly outraged, it's pathetic.

"Sirius, _Padfoot…_Ihaven't slept with Remus… or anyone for that matter, and we are in love! You need to find the bird or bloke that will make you soooo crazy with desire you feel the world crashing down around you with just one glance from them. You need love, my dear man… not a _shag_."

"Easy for you to say! You got werewolf instincts on your side! It took Lily and James years to get together!"

"You make a good point Sirius, but you also aren't even trying! At least James never gave up on her, and now look, they are utterly in love and happy together." I shake my head is disappointment at him. "You on the other hand… have you ever tried to get to know _any _of the people you shag?"

"Well… no… but they are a shag!"

I face palm immediately quickly followed by the others. "Thank Merlin Grace was found when she was! You're utterly hopeless mate! She's practically spoon feeding you what to do and it's just in one ear and out the other with you!" James shakes his head at Sirius with an amused scowl.

Sirius splutters unattractively at me and James. He looks at me and with a gaping mouth asks, "can you tell me again?" We all face palm again. Suddenly I remember something.

"I would but I have something better! I'll see you all later okay. Trust me, you might not realize this yet, but where I'm going will solve all your problems in the end Sirius." Everyone looks confused as I stand from Remus lap. I lean over and kiss him. His hand is holding on to my wrist, he doesn't want me to leave him.

"You're leaving me?" He's giving me puppy dog eyes, they are the cutest thing I have ever seen… but I have to be strong willed.

"Don't make it sound like I'm leaving you forever, it'll only be a few hours."

"HOURS! Gracie! We have five years to make up for even an hour is too much!"

"Merlin would you two get a room for heaven's sake!" Sirius looks disgusted and disgruntled.

I lean over and give Remus a longer lasting kiss, my fingers tangle in his soft blond hair. I pull away reluctantly, I want to stay, but this is for Severus _and_ Sirius. "I love you Remy, I'll see you after dinner okay?" He nods reluctantly as the puppy eyes continue. "Okay, I want you all to meet the man that got me through this last week when I was feeling sad, so I want you all to meet me by the lake after dinner! And no running off and leaving me there waiting like last time. Heads will roll if I am left waiting for two hours like last night!" James and Sirius' eyes widen.

"Leafling… you waited two hours for Remus?"

"Of course… _look_ at him!" I look back at him and he's giving me the sideways smirk that I love and his honey eyes are sparkling at me. "Damn, yes I sure as hell did wait two hours for that! And I would do it again! Just don't make me, or I will slap the shit out of someone and it won't be Remus!" I kiss Remus again and look longingly back at him as I leave the room.

I walk down to the dungeons again to find Severus. I tap the wall where the entrance is and say his name as clearly as possible. I only have to wait a minute before the wall opens up and Severus is leading me up to his room again. Everyone is looking at us again. I'm sure rumors must be flying among the Slytherin's about Snape having a girlfriend, and I'm positive they must all be unpleasant in regards to me. I am the quiet cubby girl from Gryffindor after all. I try to sneer at all the ones that dare to make eye contact with me, if I'm not going to take Sirius' bullshit I'm sure as hell not going to take it from them!

We get to his room and he sits on his bed. "You come to paint some more or tell me about your little excursion last night after the feast?"

"Lily tell you?"

"She told me only what you told her. So mate's with a werewolf! I knew you would end up with someone colorful." He's smirking at me… the stupid git! He's lucky I love him!

"You're one to talk! You like _Sirius!_ Anyways I didn't come here to do either of those things. In fact I'm here because if I have to listen to Sirius bitch about how he is now the only Marauder that isn't dating anyone I'll kill him! And we wouldn't want that now would we?" Severus shakes his head. "Good! So my dear Slytherin brother, the time has come to transform you from Greasy Git (as Gryffindor's like to put it) to Sexy Snake! Are you ready for this Severus?"

His eyes bulge for a moment before nodding once. "Good because after I'm done with you, we jump directly into my plan for you!"

"Grace! What are you talking about! I don't know what I'm doing yet!"

"Well first we are going to get started on your hair while I tell you about my night. From there we will transfigure your Muggle clothes into those of a sexy laid back man who knows how to dress without trying while I explain how this evening's events will play out for you and one Sirius Black."

He doesn't move or say anything; I'll take it as a yes! "Good! Okay into a shower for you!" I pull out a handful of little vials from my bag and shove them into his hands. "One's with rubber stoppers are for your hair and the cork stopped ones are for the rest of you!" I gesture to his body and smile innocently at him. I push him towards his bathroom and sit on his bed once the door clicks behind him. I wait till I hear the water running before I pull out my Everyday Household Charms book. The door to his bathroom opens up about ten minutes later. He's wearing a white cotton shirt and jeans… Perfect!

I push him into my painting stool and sit him down. I tie a towel around his neck and pull out my wand. "You ready for your transformation Sev?"

His voice sounds slightly chocked as he answers. "I suppose so… just be gentle with me."

"Of course Sev, this will all be worth it I promise!" I flicked my wand around his head, little bits of hair fall to the ground as I explain all the events of the night before. He doesn't make a comment until I'm finished with his hair and my story.

His hair looks great if I do say so myself! It frames his face without falling into his eyes to much. It's still long because I know Severus likes it that way. I mostly just feathered and layered it to give it a style. The potions I gave him removed all the grease from his hair and skin for a month. I'm already working on a plan to make them for him regularly… or he can make them himself, he's a potions _genius_ after all!

I walk him over to a mirror. He's not saying anything as he examines his skin and hair. Finally… "Wow! Gracie… I look… good!" The last word is said with a raised eyebrow of happiness. "How could I ever doubt you?" I giggle lightheartedly.

"Getting a lot of those kinds of comments today!"

"How did you get me un greasy?"

"Those potions I gave you took care of that for a month, now all you have to do is decide if you want to make them or if you want me to do it."

"I don't want to trouble you too much, so the next time you make them tell me and you can show me how and then I'll take it from there."

"That sounds easy enough, they are very simple, just need to dip around a bit." I give him a big smile. Suddenly his arms are wrapped around me tightly. I hug him back. "You're very welcome Sev! Now, how about we transfigure you some new clothes!" I walk over to his trunk and pull out his three worst muggle style outfits. I place them across his bed and stare down at them. Sev comes up next to me.

"I'll let you take the lead. I obviously don't know what I'm doing as much as you do!" I laugh again with a nod.

I wave my wand above the clothes and picture what I want each piece to look like when I'm done. The first outfit is simple but elegant: A white button down shirt with form fitting tan slacks. The second outfit is a smoky gray long sleeve V-neck with black jeans. And finally, the third outfit is a dark green vest over a black button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, paired with black slacks. He looks down at each one carefully. All are good choices in my opinion; all will show off his dark eyes and slim figure.

To my great pleasure he picks the last one, the vest with black pants and shirt. I hand him the outfit and push him into the bathroom to change. He comes out a few minutes later. He looks towards the ground… he's shy? "Sev… _damn_ you look sexy! If you weren't gay and I wasn't taken…" I wolf whistle and his head pops up with a large grin.

I roll up the sleeves and unbutton the vest and un-tuck his shirt. He raises an eyebrow at me. "You look more laid back."

"Laid back?"

"You look like you don't give a shit Sev. It'll make Sirius do a double take for sure! You look like a cool style badass who doesn't give a shit whether or not Sirius even glances your way."

"And… we want that?"

"Severus! Of course we want that. We want him to stew over the fact that someone actually didn't notice his sex appeal. We want to make him wonder what is different about _you_ what makes you so special you can just ignore the great Sirius Black! It'll drive him bonkers! He'll be complaining about how he doesn't even care that you didn't even look at him, all bull shit of course. After a few days of that, I'll give you the next step! Tonight is the first battle Severus… are you ready to strike like the snake I know you to be?"

He stares defiantly at me for a few moments then nods. "What do I have to do tonight?"

I smirk deviously, "tonight we are going to spend a little time with the Marauders. I'll introduce you formally to each of them in turn. I'll save Sirius for last. Make sure to make good eye contact and smile pleasantly at Remus and James. When you get to Sirius I want you to look him up and down, then give him one of those famed Slytherin smirks and just look away… if you can. Which I'm sure you will able to do with little problem, you've always liked a challenge." We smirk at each other. "Then I want you to be charming and give off a flirtatious air. Never look or respond directly to Sirius. You have to act like you could care less about what he thinks of your comments. Only give him sideways glances out of the corner of your eye and when he notices roll them and look back at whoever you were just speaking to. He won't understand your lack of interest."

"I think I can do this. I can right?"

I place a reassuring hand on his shoulder and give it a light squeeze. Of course you can Sev; you're a Slytherin for Merlin's sake!" I look down at my watch.

"Okay it's time we go down and meet them by the lake." I link my arm with his and lead him from the room.

The other Slytherin's are just getting back from dinner, their expression make me swell with pride. All the girls do a double take and all the boys at least glance in his direction with a hint of interest. One girl even nodded to me in what I could only assume was for my ability to make the once greasy, maybe frightening teen look like a regular film star! We walk swiftly through the many halls and nod with humored smirks to everyone we pass. They can't help but gawk at Severus' new appearance.

"Are you sure you still want Sirius? It seems you could have anyone you want now if you change your mind." He shakes his head.

"Why would I want anyone when I can have the… how do you put it? Ah, yes _untamable Sirius Black! _The prize of the school for many I'm sure. That… and he is extremely handsome and good with a …" He clears his throat, "…_broom._" I snort and push the front doors open.

We step out onto the cool grounds still laughing.

We spot the Marauders quickly. Their presence is always hard to ignore, they are a strange bunch! We strut up to them, showing off Severus' long legs. I glance at Sirius; he's practically drooling at the sight of his once greatest enemy…_good_!

"I know you all know who this is, but they were not on the best of terms and well… you didn't have me. Severus was there for me when no one else was, and if you want me to stick around then you all have to play nice with Severus. Have I made myself clear? All nod vigorously."

"We need you to keep Siri here in line!" James laughs followed by nods and chuckles of agreement from the others.

"And you know I have never hated Severus and Lily of course is already his friend!" I beam and Remus, what a sweetheart!

I look expectantly at Sirius who still stares blatantly at Severus. "Black! Did you hear me, or were you… _distracted?_" His head snaps up and he nods.

"Yeah I think I can be friends with anyone you can be friends with… well I guess I don't really have a choice do I?"

"Nope," respond Lily, Remus, James and me in unison.

"Well, let's formally introduce you all shall we?"

Remus reaches his hand out first as I take my place at his side. "Severus, this is Remus Lupin, Remus this is Sev." Just as I told him to he shakes Remus' hand firmly and smiles broadly. Next Severus moves to James just as I told him to. I introduce them just like I did Remus and Severus again smiles. He's doing everything perfectly, but this is now the real test.

If Sev can't pull of ignoring Sirius, then he might not be able to pull off the plan and he will end up as just another fling in Sirius long list of shag victims. I watch with held breath as Severus reaches out to shake Sirius hand.

He looks Severus up and down with a long glance. The hand shake is brief and the smirk is sinister in its ability to make Severus look utterly unfazed by Sirius magnetic sex appeal. I wink at Severus as his face turns back to mine.

The night is an utter success. Severus did better than I could ever hope for! He only even glanced at Sirius twice and both times he shook his head and rolled his eyes as he continued to talk to someone else.

~GL&RL~

We all talked and laughed for an hour but it's getting dark now. I stand up and let everyone else know. "I'm going to walk Severus back to his dorms."

"Grace you just said it yourself it's late is that a good idea?"

"Why not, I've got you in my head if anything goes wrong!" I get on my tip toes and place a tender kiss on his lips. "I'll meet you in the common room in 15minutes, okay?"

He sighs but it's halfhearted. "Okay just don't be longer than 15 or your going have some angry chattering in your head!"

"Deal. Bye everyone else… see you in the morning!

I link arms with Severus again and lead him back to the castle. As soon as we are out of ear shot I can't help but giggle excitedly. "Sev! You were fantastic! Better than I could have ever imagined. You were pro."

"I had a good teacher and motivator." He winks at me with a smile.

"You are going to kill Black! He won't know what hit him!" We made it to his dorm and with a hug we parted.

'_I'm on my way back; don't get all werewolf on me.'_

'_Good I was getting anxious!'_

'_You're waiting up for me right?'_

'_Of course, you asked me to didn't you?'_

'_I did indeed, and trust me; the payoff will be plentiful for you my love!' _A longing swells inside me. Remus really wants to see me now.

'_How far away are you? I don't know how long I can wait with promises like that!' _ I smirk to myself and decide to keep quiet and let him stew. I'm only a minute away.

I walk through the portrait hole with as seductive a smile as can manage. The common room is empty. Most have gone to bed early... still hung over from their Halloween festivities. Remus is sitting in one of the big arms chairs next to the fire looking into the flickering light. I walk towards him and his head snaps up at my presence.

"I know it's only been a minute, but it always feels like so much longer when we are apart." I smile in agreement as I slip onto his lap straddling his thighs. His eyes turn a dark amber color with lust as I slip my hands into his hair.

"Your eyes are so captivating, I love how dark they turn when you think of me." I run a finger down his chest to his belly button then back up. He lets out a growl of lust that makes me shiver with excitement. "I'm pleased you find me so attractive Remy, a lot of men don't like curvy women now a days." His fingers slip just under the hem of shirt to play along the soft skin on my waist.

"I've always liked curvy women; they can handle more and are just so… _scrumptious _to look at." He gives my waist a light tug so I'm even closer to him.

"Mmm, yes I think I can defiantly handle a werewolf if that is what you were referring too." I lean over and nibble on his ear. His hands squeeze firmly in response.

"They were right you know… about me being rough in bed." I can't help but raise an eyebrow at this.

"How would you know that, who have you slept with?" I'm not accusing, I know he's mine and nothing will change it, and there is no room or need for jealousy.

"I haven't… I just… _know." _The eyebrow is still raised. "I like biting and things like that." He looks ashamed. He's being ridiculous of course.

"Hmmm, I'm not sure what I like, but we aren't soul mates for nothing my love, a little firmness is healthy, as long as passion and love are involved too I don't see why I can't sacrifice a little mobility as long as the process is mind blowing!" His pupils dilate at the thought. "Anyways I think we are still a few days away from _that_ but we can do…." I slip a hand under his shirt and graze my fingers over his flat stomach. "…other things, I'm sure." I look from his eyes to his pants. There is a large bulge… a very large bulge.

His eyes look down to where mine are looking, our eyes meet again and his cheeks flush. "Nothing to be ashamed of… in fact, I'm flattered." On the last word I swivel my hips down to meet his. He gasps in surprise as he squeezes my hips again. His eyes shut as his head hits the back of the chair.

"You're going to kill me."

"We wouldn't want that, I'm not even close to being done with you yet." I lean in and kiss him soundly on the lips as I force my tongue into his mouth. It's not really much of a fight since he wants this just as much as I do. One of my hands continues to tangle in his hair as the other runs up and down his chest under his shirt. His hands venture further up my shirt; his fingers brush my soft stomach. I gasp at the contact; he only smiles against my lips.

'_I love when you make noises like that.'_

'_No one has ever given my stomach much attention!'_

'_I like that you're… squishy?' _ I laugh into the kiss as my tongue runs along the roof of his mouth.

His hand moves up my stomach to my breasts. His large hands massage them over my bra. _'Enjoying yourself?'_

'_Those school robes do nothing for the female figure; I didn't even know you had…__**these**__ until you put this shirt on today.' _He squeezes them lightly before continuing to massage them. _'Merlin… how big are they?' _

I break the kiss with a little pop so I can smirk at him.

"Like them do you?" His hands stop moving but don't leave them as I stare down at his finger tips poking out the neck of my shirt. "They are D's since you wanted to know." His eyes bulge comically.

"Damn," is all I hear whispered under his breath. I grind down into his lap again. His eyes automatically squeeze shut and his breathing hitches. I lean over and nibble on his neck while he's distracted. I cool the sting with a swipe of my tongue and again grind down into his lap.

"Grace… do you know what you are….." I swipe my tongue from the base of his neck to his ear. "….Damn!" I nibble on his ear lobe before whispering a response against it.

"I'm making you feel good Remus. I can tell it's working too. I can feel your…_happy feelings _towards me." I tug lightly and playfully on his ear. He growls with lust at my actions.

Suddenly his hips buck up into mine. It startles me for a moment but then it just makes me want to see what else I can make him do without even having to get clothes off.

My hands run up his chest and I brush my thumbs over his nipples. He squeezes my breasts firmly which just makes me smirk. I roll his nipples lightly between my fingers as I get a rhythm going with my hips.

Suddenly I'm in the air. My legs are wrapped firmly around Remus hips and my arms are around his chest. He tosses me playfully on the large couch and lies in between my legs. I smile up at him as he looks down into my eyes. He lets out a long breath, his eyes sparkle down at me.

"You have the most beautiful eyes Gracie."

"I was just thinking the same thing." With that said I lift his shirt up and off his head. I look at his tan muscular body in awe. I run my hands slowly along the newly exposed skin. After a few moments Remus leans down and kisses me, but it's brief as he begins to trail them down my jaw and then down my neck. He kisses over my clothed breasts and as he gets to my stomach he pushes the fabric up my body to expose my 'squishy' stomach. He nibbles and licks; he dips his tongue swiftly into my belly button and then continues down to the hem of my jeans. He trails kisses all along the top then back up. I stop him half way and pull my shirt off too. It's only fair. He looks at me with happy surprise before jumping back in and licking every inch of skin not covered by bra. He still pulls down the straps as he kisses my shoulders. My legs are curled tightly around his hips as he begins to grind down into me now. I'm letting out a steady stream of gasp and mewl as he kisses my chest and neck. Suddenly I feel his teeth graze lightly around my neck as if to test my reaction.

The response is immediate. I bite my lips to soften the loud moan that wants to burst from my throat. Apparently I enjoy biting as much as he does. I can only assume it has something to do with my desire to be claimed by my werewolf mate.

He is happily encouraged by my moan of approval and does it again with a firmer tug. He doesn't break the skin. I know he's waiting for the mating bite till we make love. It's what I want too, but this will be good enough till then. He kisses the hollow of my throat and then repeats the biting on the other side of my neck.

He just goes on like that until he's grinding down into me furiously and I can't tell up from down. Suddenly I feel a pleasant tightening in my stomach and I realize through my lusty haze what's happening. "Remus… I …wow. Mmm…"

He nibbles on my ear, his breath tickles my neck as he whispers, "mmm, me too." It feels so sudden we are kissing, swallowing the others moan as we orgasm. Finally our breathing normal's out and Remus sits back between my legs as I sink further into the couch, both of us are panting, our chests heaving from the excitement.

"….Damn….. That was good." I pull my wand off the ground where it fell and wave it over us cleaning up the mess we made of our selves. I sit up and pull my shirt back on before leaning against Remus chest. "Tomorrow no bra." He chuckles making my head shake against his chest.

"I can't wait!" I tilt my head back so he can kiss me. It's a slow tender kiss, our lips moving slowly against the others."I didn't hurt you with the biting right?"

"No, my neck might be a little tender tomorrow but I actually _really_ liked it if the moaning was any indication." We both laugh again. I turn around so my legs rest over his and I press my head against his shoulder.

"You don't think we are moving too fast do you?" Remus sounds a little sad.

I hum against his chest before responding. "I have been starring at you for years, we are mate's, and soul mate's… and I love you more than anything." I smile and kiss his neck lightly. "No Remy we aren't moving to fast."

He smiles and my head rises as he inhales a deep relieved breath. We both smile as we run finger tips lightly over each other's arms. Eventually he asks,

"You tired love? You've had a long day and you've only had about 4 hours sleep since yesterday morning."

"Yes, I'm tired, but I don't want to leave you to go up to my bed."

"You'll be more comfortable in your own bed Gracie."

"You are surprisingly comfortable… Do you want to go up to bed? I'm being selfish." He wraps his arms around me possessively.

"I want to sleep next to you too. I'm fine just sitting here for a while longer." I nuzzle into his neck and kiss it softly just barley brushing my lips against the soft skin."

"Are you going to tell me what all that was about with Severus tonight? I understand you wanting us to meet him in a different light… but what was with the makeover?"

"He likes Sirius but he wants it to be more than a shag so I'm helping him seduce Sirius to the point of no return. When I'm through with those two they will be permanently attached at the lips I guarantee it."

"You're devious; I don't know how the Marauders ever passed up a talent for trouble like yours." I roll my eyes and kiss his cheek.

"Story of my life." We don't make it back to our beds, we end up falling asleep talking about Greek myths.

_**Did you enjoy? It's one of my favorite chapter. And That is really as far as the go together that I write about sorry let me know if you really want more and I might be able to figure something out.**_

_**ooohhhh spoiled again! uploads two days in a row and today four posts! wow! lol lol lol hope you enjoyed! there shouldn't be to many more chapters people so yeah!**_


	9. 9: Hestia's Kindness

_**This is the last real chapter people. I have a very long epilogue and it has a much different tone then this but I think it is worth reading just to know how this story really would end. Alas, enjoy this last chapter, its short but sums things up nicely I think.**_

**Chapter 9**

**Hestia's Kindness**

We don't wake up till morning when Lilly shakes us awake with the biggest hottiest smirk I have ever seen!

"Did you guys sleep here all night tangled together like that?" I look down to see me and Remus indeed look tangled together. Our legs are twined together and his arms are around me.

"I guess so… oh yeah we… um snoged and then I didn't want to leave him so we ended up falling asleep here talking." Sirius appears behind Lily. He has a disgusted look on his face.

"Get a room! Stop rubbing your perfect happy relationship in our faces! And for SHIT'S SAKE REMUS, PUT ON A DAMN SHIRT!" He huffs and plops down onto the closest chair. Remus looks at me with a guilty smile on his face as he pulls on his shirt that was crumpled on the floor.

"What is up with you mate?" James looks amused by Sirius' little outburst as Lily sits in his lap.

"Nothing is the matter! I just don't see why you couples have to be all over each other all the time!"

"Well you would know if you actually bothered to fancy someone for more than just a shag." I raise an eyebrow as I wait for the response I know I'm about to get.

He glares at first but then his cheeks flush and I know why. He's thinking about a certain sexy Slytherin. "For your information I do like someone."

'_Ha told you so!'_

"Oh really… who?" The smirk that threatens my lips is hard to control.

"None of your business Leafling! Bugger off and go snog Remus or something!"

"Don't get angry with me! Why are you angry in the first place that's great news! Why are you so troubled… scared to have a feeling other than horney!"

"Shut up… I don't know why I'm pissed! Although…" He looks like he was about to say something he shouldn't but it's too late… I have him right where I want him.

"What Black, what's wrong?"

"Well your friend Snape's little shenanigans last night didn't help!"

"Whatever could you mean?" My voice is dripping with false confusion.

"What was with him ignoring me? The bloody snake checked me out then didn't bother to look me in the eye the rest of the night! I mean what he didn't think I was attractive enough for his new look! I have never been sneered at like that because I wasn't found attractive enough!" He looks pissed and skittish. He rounds on James. "I mean am I loosing it Prongs? Has my handsomeness vanished? I used to get a person into bed with just a wink. Then _he_ comes along and doesn't so much as give me a second glance! I mean even straighter men have looked at me more than he did last night! OH MY GODS! Is he even gay!"

'_Ha!'_

'_You are scary good.'_

'_Yes, I know. You don't want to fuck with my friends. I'll always have something to do about it!'_

'_Glad you're a Marauder then!'_

"Yes Black, he's gay. But he's heard about your little 'excursions'. He wants something real, and he probably doesn't think _you _will give that to him… why should he waste his time if you aren't going to put in a lasting effort right?" I give Remus a secret smirk as Sirius just glowers moodily in his chair. "You like someone anyways right?"

I've never seen the always cool headed Sirius Black looks so flustered. It's humbling I'm sure. This is working out so much better than I could ever have hoped for!

~GL&RL~

At breakfast I glance over towards Severus who gives me a quick wink. I look next to me to see Sirius simultaneously glowering and raping Severus with his eyes.

Sev is wearing my second outfit, the long sleeved V-neck and tight black jeans. Severus is keeping a very good hold of himself, he isn't making any eye contact with Sirius in fact he's making it look as if he doesn't even notice Sirius' eyes could be literally boring into his skull and undressing him.

I ignore Sirius' gaze as I talk to the others.

Finally when breakfast is over we are leaving. Sirius is lagging behind us and looking around the crowd, obviously looking for a certain Slytherin. I see Sev before Sirius does and make quick eye contact with him and nod just as Sirius spots him.

Suddenly with a streak of perfect black hair, Sirius is gone. I look over to where Sev was just standing and sure enough Sirius is following slowly behind him as if stalking prey.

They disappear around a corner and I can't hold back a laugh.

"Why are you doing this? You've only been friends with Severus for a week and you barley like Sirius." Remus says it with a well humored smirk but it's a legitimate question.

"I don't know Remy. I just like helping people who help me. Severus was my friend when I had no one else. He knew I was a Gryffindor and still he sat next to me and comforted me. I just cut his hair and told him how to act, the rest is all him."

"But still, you're just amazing, still so generous."

"Ha ha, well I always liked to think I got Hestia's kindness too." He smiles down at me with a wide grin. It makes my heart flutter.

"Yes you did love… yes you did."

**The End.**

_**Yep, That's it people I would love comments asking questions and telling me if you think it needs more or not. Okay well hope you liked this there is still the epilogue so keep a look out for it! **_

_**Love always,**_

_**Tadpole**_


	10. 10: Epilogue

**Epilogue**

The rest of the year went by smoothly for everyone. The Christmas break was spent mostly at my house. It is just me and my dad, my mother died when I was 11. My dad and I are very close, so he insisted I invite my friends over for as long as they wanted to stay. All of us could now apparate legally so it was easy to be together. And, by the break Sirius and Severus were only separable for classes and sleep… and even then that was still a stretch.

When Sirius found out I had been the real mastermind behind Severus he had glared at me for a week. It took Lily and Sev yelling at him that without me he would still be single and without the sexy snake to get him to stop. In fact he even apologized profusely for it afterward.

The holidays were the most fun time I had ever had. I showed them all _The Wolf Man_ they found it highly amusing and we decided it had to be a tradition to watch it during the New Year from now on. I then showed them my comic collection and introduced them to The Green Lantern, Batman, and Superman. They all rotated reading the comics until they were all as into it as I was. We spent hours in my room or living room just reading and laughing about things in the comics.

Whenever we weren't reading comics or watching old horror movies James and Sirius taught Lily, Sev and me how to transform in animangus. In just that short period of time of the holidays we learned to successfully make the change. We could all be together during the full moons now and that made everyone excited for the future endeavors. It would also make getting Remus up to the hospital afterwards much easier.

It was interesting to see Lily's transformation into a doe with red tinted fur and dazzling green eyes. I was excited to meet my new patronus, my old one had been a barn owl, and the new one of course reflected Remus. So of course it was a wolf with sparkling blue eyes. I looked exactly like it when I transformed. My fur was light brown and waved into small curls at the ends. We were all curious to see whether it would be Severus or Sirius' that changed. To my great amusement and delight Sirius was the one that changed. Severus was a large but gentle snake… a boa of some sort. He was all black and had all black eyes. He was eerie but beautiful. Sirius now was a snake too, but his was a tiny black garden snake with pale blue eyes. Remus was pleased to see my animangus as was James. Sirius grumbled a lot about not wanting to be bottom if it meant he had to be a snake which only made the rest of us laugh heartily.

Of course, as tradition goes with things like this, the original boys decided we needed nick names. Each of them picked there boyfriend or girlfriends new name. Remus named me Star, he said it was because my eyes reminded him of stars but James said it was because then we could be Moony and Star… cheesy but cute, I could defiantly deal with it. Severus was Scales and Lily was (to the great amusement of everyone else) Bambi. Apparently Disney although a Muggle thing still was very popular in the wizarding world. She huffed about it for a little while but once James, Severus and I had called her by it for a few days she decided it was cute and accepted it.

Padfoot no longer suited Sirius' animangus but James and Remus said it would be too weird to call him anything else so they left it as was. We were all very happy and content with our names and roles in the newly formed group.

James now called us the 'Pack of Marauders' it suited us well. We all had our roles in the pack making us one very strong complete group. James was the leader, strong and brave. Sirius was the hot head, always ready for a fight to defend those of us in need. Remus was the gentle intelligence, always trying to keep the rest of us out of trouble (ha ha… yeah good luck with that babe). Severus was the sarcastic cool headed one, always ready with a snappy comeback and _always _had the perfect spell for a job up his sleeve. Lily was the kind one, making sure we didn't fight too much and always making sure she had a shoulder to cry on, a hug to give, or an ear to listen with if any of us needed it. Upon mentioning all these roles to everyone Severus noticed I had left myself out _'as always'_ like I wasn't one of the most important pieces he had said.

I remember it clearly… he had cleared his throat, stood up as if addressing a class as a teacher and said in a matter of fact voice- _"As always Grace is being humble and stubborn in thinking she brings nothing to our pack. When in fact, Gracie is the glue, she is the one that brought us all together and without her it would still just be the three Marauders, incomplete and lacking, then you found Grace. She is the kindness that Lily can't always be, she is the sarcasm that I sometimes lack, she is cool headed and intelligent when it seems impossible, she is always ready to defend and forgive even when they don't deserve it and she has proven herself to be brave when tougher men would have run. She takes care of us when we need it." He _had pointed at his hair and then gestured to Remus._ "And she always knows just what to say when we feel we can be no lower. She is our Pack Mother, and thank the gods for her!"_

My eyes had welled up with so many tears at the kind words I couldn't even speak. I just nodded, hoping the others would feel that at least he was slightly correct; I was shocked when I looked around to see everyone beaming at me with huge smiles and nodding their heads in agreement… even Sirius.

When I had joined the Marauders, that first week had been amazing, I felt loved and wanted. I had friends that liked me for who I was and it was spectacular. But when I had heard those words from Severus and seen the fast nodded agreements I had felt needed. They needed me, just as much as I now needed them.

When the time came for us to go back to school we did it with laughs and friendship, nothing could separate us now, as I had said before, we were all like one part of a whole.

The rest of the year felt like a continuation of the holiday. We spent every second together we could. Even if we were studding we did it by the lake so we could all spend the time with each other. It was odd how well we all got along. We bickered like siblings a lot, but always with a good-natured air and always under the watchful eyes of Lily to make sure it didn't get out of hand.

Finally the summer came and it was much like the Christmas break had been except that they didn't stay at my house. We settled for apparateing back and forth between Lily, James, and my home. It was great. We made sure to be with Remus for three days before and three days after the full moon including the actual event where we snuck off into the forest near his home and spent the night playing as our animal personas. It was a truly happy time for all of us.

That following year was just as great as the one before. Our NEWT's had fast approached but we got through the work load together and finished the year with flying colors. None of us got less then 'E's' on any of our NEWT's, we felt like nothing would ever touch us, we were the unstoppable Pack of Marauders… but we were still so young.

**~GL&RL~**

_**Okay this is where it gets serious folks. This is all what happens during the first war. It is not happy, Lily and James still die, things are better for Harry because Sirius never goes to Azkaban and because Peter wasn't in the story and Sirius has Severus, but still kinda moody and much darker than the previous stuff. You've been warned, but I also say that I put some twists in and you have to read it if you want to know about Grace and Remus' kids.**_

For a year life was perfect. Remus and I had been married along with Lily and James and Sirius and Severus. All in the same month! Soon after our weddings Lily and I got pregnant and Sirius and Severus were looking to adopt. We were starting families and lives, James and Sirius had become Aurors! Remus, Severus and I went to Hogwarts and trained under the retiring teacher in our soon hopeful field. Remus trained under the DADA professor, Severus under the potions professor and I studied under the Care of Magical creatures Professor. Lily made potions for an apothecary and was working on a children's book of our adventures the last two years at Hogwarts.

Remus and I also worked on books. They were to be a set, his was about werewolves in general and the dynamics behind becoming one and how to deal with it in a stress free manner. While I, wrote one on being the mate of a werewolf and what to expect from it. No one had ever really written books like these, werewolf books were always from an outside source never at the heart of it. We planned for them to be truly telling of what it was really like, raise awareness on the so called 'Dark Creatures'.

Life was good.

However… like most good things, it ended soon after the news of our children. News of a Lord Voldemort swept through London like a plague. He was everywhere but never seen, nor heard. Dumbledore in hopes of preventing the man from becoming too powerful created the Order of the Phoenix. And like always, if one of us did something, the other Marauders followed faithfully to make sure the initial person didn't muck things up! So, when James joined the Order… the rest of us followed. We all had our roles to play… but I refused to let Remus or I do tasks that would put our soon to be full family in danger with this new dangerous man.

James and Lily had not been so careful and soon we had news that Voldemort was after them specifically. We tried to ignore this sad news and wait for the birth of her baby with happy carefree eyes. But it was not so easy.

We still acted like because we were the Marauders… a steady pack… one whole thing that we could not be touched. We were unstoppable and no matter how tuff The Dark Lord was he would never hurt us.

But then Dumbledore asked Severus to do something that we were not ready for. It was a blow to our pack. The crazy old fool asked Severus to be a spy among the Death Eaters. He was an accomplished Occlumencer, we had hoped that Voldemort would not be able to see into his mind and discover this secret. Every time his tattoo stung signaling for him to go to the evil man it was like there was thick, heavy blanket over our pack. We would hold our breaths till he came back and every time it got harder and harder to watch him leave us. In our terror over Severus, we let the news of Lily and James' distress fall to the side. But in the end it was never Severus we should have been worried about, he _always_ came back.

Meanwhile Lily and I were only getting rounder. We looked as though we would pop at any moment.

Finally I did pop, a _month_ early! I had twins, apparently they regularly came early. I had a boy and a girl. The little girl had her father's straight blond hair and my eyes while the boy got my curly brown hair and his father's dazzling honey eyes.

Apparently werewolves were known for impregnating their mate with more than one child, like a litter of puppies (something to include in my book). I couldn't complain I loved kids, still do of course. And I had two beautiful spring babies.

We had discussed names over long nights and with the other Marauders. In the end when the pack found out we had twins, the choices were unanimous. Always for the humors way possible they were named Jill Lily Lupin and Jack James Lupin… Jack and Jill (like the nursery rhyme… Sirius didn't stop laughing for 10 minutes). We gave them Lily and James' names because Severus and Sirius were to be their godparents and we wanted to represent everyone in our little family.

In the end they were all very proud and happy for Remus and me. Our pack was two larger. And for the first month it was like the Dark Lord didn't even exist! Then in the summer we were back at the hospital.

Lily was now a mother herself. Her and James had brought little Harry James Potter into the world. He looked just like James, except for the eyes; he had Lily's green orbs. She had all four of us be godparents, Harry would be loved no matter what either way and they couldn't decide. We were all happy to be whatever they wanted from us, if they wanted little Harry to have four godparents then the boy would have them!

For another month… we were happy. But the Dark Lord was still after something and none of us… not even Severus knew what. We knew it had to do with Lily and James, but we weren't sure why. Why just them?

But it wasn't just them; the Longbottom's were also under tight protection. They had a child, little Neville within days of Lily. We couldn't be sure but we thought it might have something to do with the boys. But we couldn't be positive. Severus tried to gain the information, but Voldemort didn't entirely trust him because of his marriage to Sirius. It was a wise choice of course, but irritating for the rest of us.

Almost a year had gone by, we tried to be happy like we had been when we were in school, but there was so much to fear. One night all our fake happiness vanished. Remus, Sirius, Severus and I got news… James and Lily had been murdered by Voldemort. We all cried immediately, huge tears dripped down our faces as the Auror told us that Harry had miraculously survived the killing curse and that he now needed us to be his guardians.

Of course we took him with wide open comforting arms. The poor baby was barely a year old, and already an orphan, but he would know his parents. They would be the source of great stories for him. This didn't have to mean the end. He would fill the hole left by James and Lily in our hearts just as we would do the same for him. Remus and my children clung to him like no other right along with me. We of course already knew each other, but it was like the kids knew he needed extra love. (Apparently they had inherited my knack for knowing when comfort was needed most.)

We tried to make Harry comfortable and we loved him like our own just as we had always promised. We were grateful for his presence, but like most things in last few years, it wasn't long lived.

Dumbledore had come a few days later. We had all calmed down enough that we were no longer crying. That was until the man said that he would be taking Harry.

"He must go to Lily's sister, before Lily died she performed a spell that is making it impossible for anyone to harm him, but he has to be near someone who shared her bloodfor it to work." It was as if he had smacked us all across the face with an iron! It was safe to say we were all outraged, but none as much as me.

"How _dare_ you come here and think you can take Harry and give us no other option! Because of you Lily and James are dead! You don't get to take away the one thing that can help heal all of us! Harry needs us to tell him about his parents, and we need him to show that they didn't die for nothing! You want him! You have to take him from _me_!" It was the only time I had ever screamed angrily in my entire life. I had never been so angry before. This wasn't even in the same galaxy as the time I had yelled at Sirius those now three years ago.

I was raging, I thought I would have to duel Dumbledore! And I would have done it too… But then the man's eyes sparkled.

There was a collective sigh of relief from the room; apparently they had wisely headed my words. They knew I would duel the great wizard if it meant a chance to keep Harry with us. But Dumbledore shook his head.

"I understand," he had said. "So, I offer you this. Move into the house next door to the Dursley's. As long as Harry is _close_ to Petunia the spell will work. But, this is my only offer, the only chance to keep Harry, you move into the muggle neighborhood and keep your magic to a minimum or stay here and I take him."

It hadn't even been a discussion. All four of us packed our houses and moved in within a week. To the great amusement of the Marauders the Dursley's were shocked at our 'eccentric' outfits. Even though three of us grew up in muggle influenced households, we still dressed strangely. They were not happy to see us, but we were overjoyed to see them. We had to disguise Severus slightly when he was even close to being noticed by Petunia, since he had been friends with Lily when they were young. But it was fine, we managed that with little problem since Petunia tried her hardest to not look at us, at least in person (she did a lot of staring through the window).

The problem at first was that we were a family of 7 in a house with three rooms and we couldn't have the kids sleep in the same room forever since one was a girl. But we weren't wizards for nothing! We managed to make the house magically bigger on the inside but still look the same on the outside. We glamoured it so if a muggle came in it would look like it did when we moved in. It was perfect. We changed the attic into Severus' potions lab and put in five more bedrooms. We needed one for Remus and I, one for Sirius and Severus and one for each of the kids. However we hired a house elf named Polly to help take care of kids and cook if something happened during our busy schedules… and during the full moon. We offered to pay her but she refused so we made sure she had a room at least as big as the children's and that we were always polite to her. We insisted she eat meals with us at the table too. Polly is still very good to us and is a member of the family.

Severus and Remus already had a huge collection of books, I wasn't bad off myself. We needed a Library. We put together a Library where all the walls were covered from ceiling to floor in book shelves... all except the door. And then since two of us were writers we needed an office. It was large enough to house two desks and a few shelves comfortably.

We put a glamour on the back yard so if anyone else looked into it from the outside it would look like a peaceful regular backyard. In reality we planted all manner of strange plants and kept some strange, but gentle creatures as pets for my class.

The kids were the light of our lives. Although we still grieved for Lily and James the kids all helped lessen the sting. They were our future, the future pack of Marauders; as long as they remembered they weren't indestructible they would grow up to be good strong adults. Stronger then we had ever been.

The full moon although felt odd, due to the fact we were now missing two members… but we still had fun. We would apparate back to Hogwarts and go to the shrieking shack like we did when we were students.

Life was actually looking up. Harry had gotten rid of Voldemort, and although the loss of his parents was a huge blow to all of us he never lacked in love. We made sure never to spoil our children with possessions, if they wanted something they had to earn it. Life was hard and we had to make sure they understood that nothing in life was free. We only ever spoiled them our love and affection.

It got harder as they got older. They took after us in the mischief department. They liked to do practical jokes and make thing seemingly blow up of their own accord. Jack, Jill, and Harry were practically inseparable! Unlike most siblings they hardly ever fought, it was nice to see it, although that did mean we had to endure the practical joke problems, their ability to cooperate made their schemes that much more advanced and… terrible for the old Marauders. Although many a times we discovered that Sirius had a major role in the plans.

We had fun watching them grow up, we were so proud of how well Harry had gotten along despite the fame that followed him wherever he went. He never let it go to his head, in fact it was quite the opposite, he hated his fame, he wanted to be like his brother and sister and just be normal. We felt bad for the boy, but in all honesty we couldn't blame the public. Harry hadn't known what it was like, the kids hadn't been around for the first war, and suddenly a baby saves everyone! He truly was special.

None of us knew at the time of course how special he would become, but we knew he and his siblings would do great things.

Anyways, we taught them all we could without them actually using magic themselves. We all had a different subject and love to contribute to the kids. So, when they finally got their Hogwarts letters it is safe to say I cried like a baby. The kids and Sirius just laughed at me. I punched Sirius in the arm so hard it was bruised for two weeks.

Of course it wasn't like we were saying goodbye, I was just so proud of them. After all Severus, Remus, and I all had jobs as teachers at the school and all of us were to live there during the school year even Sirius.

**~GL&RL~**

They are now in school. All three of them ended up in Gryffindor! Severus is still grumbling that he _still_ has to be the only Slytherin in the Marauders. Remus and I are proud though, we're glad Harry is a Gryffindor it would have made his parents proud.

We were happy to see them all in their first days of classes; the kids had apparently already made new friends. On the train to school they had shared their compartment with a girl by the name of Hermione Granger and a boy named Ronald Weasley.

The Marauders and I were delighted to hear about the Weasley boy, we had worked with his parents in the Order. And from what Harry told us Hermione was going to be a wonderful addition to the family they were already creating for themselves.

They had also met Neville Longbottom who was the other boy believed to be targeted by Voldemort and we had been very close with his parents since they were in the Order. We grieved for the boy and his grandmother when we heard what happened to them. We were very happy to know he was an addition to the group.

**~GL&RL~**

Now we are caught up again, and now I have to deal with a little problem.

I was just informed by Minerva that they are _defiantly_ taking after us. Ron has two older _twin_ brothers named Fred and George and they are apparently ones for mischief themselves. Harry told them all about our own little stunts as students and all about the Marauders. It's safe to say they are now calling themselves the same thing. I heard whispers yesterday about how cute all the Marauder boys were, and _'Oh, aren't those Marauders just the funniest things you've ever seen!_

They are lucky I'm not their head of house! That's for sure! They are just lucky I love the fact that they are making so many friends! The roll sheet is now long enough to already have passed us up.

Let's see there is…

Harry

Jill

Jack

Ron

Hermione

Fred

George

Neville

I think that's it, but they are making friends all the time and Ron has told me he has three brothers even before Fred and George and a younger sister! Plus I've seen the way Malfoy's son looks at them; I can see the desire for an actual friend in his eyes. The ones he's got now are ridiculous! I believe their names are Crabbe and Goyle? They are more like foolish body guards if you ask me!

I asked the kids about it after their first day; they said he was a mean Slytherin boy that just made fun of them and especially Hermione because she is muggle born apparently (personally that just makes her better in my books, Lily was too, and she was wonderful!). I pointed out that Sev was too a Slytherin. I think that only made to confuse them, but alas, we shall just have to see what their big futures hold.

The others Marauders and I can't wait to see what will happen and I must say it's been quite a ride so far. I can only imagine it will get better from here because I know no matter what happens bad or good, we will get through it as a family. In the end that is what is most important and with a family this big I can't see too many downsides.

**The end.**

_**I have a side of what happens when Sev seduces Siri that I am still working on and then I am thinking about stories of the new marauders adventures. Okay well that is the end tell me what you all honestly thought! I would love to know!**_


End file.
